


Bloody Kisses, Strawberry Smiles

by AbbeyDawn103



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: BDSM, Bloodplay, Drama, Getting to Know Each Other, Kidnapping, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Murder, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Obsession, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Romance, Slow Romance, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-05-17 13:57:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 61,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14833565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbbeyDawn103/pseuds/AbbeyDawn103
Summary: He  should be dead.... but he's alive.... he wants L dead... but then.... why is he kissing him?... And who will save L from this "nightmare"?





	1. Chapter 1: Taken

**Author's Note:**

> This is NOT my original work. The credit goes to LightOfAThousandSuns on FF or Catqueen991 on Deviant.
> 
> This is one of the most know fics of BBxL in the Death Note community. This fic was posted on FF but right now is deleted. So, since i had the fic saved i decided to share it since there are a lot of people asking for it online.
> 
> Please read the tags before you read it. If any of the warnings might cause you harm in any way, please get out inmediately.
> 
> This contains spoilers of "Another Note". Also spoilers of the real names of some characters.
> 
> This story takes place during the 'Kira Case', mostly during the time in wich L suspects Light of being Kira and Light knows Misa Amane is the 'Second Kira'.
> 
> Disclaimer: Neither Death Note nor Another Note belongs to me, including their characters. 
> 
> All said, enjoy the story.

_And it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be_  
_false to any man._

_\- "Hamlet", Act I Scene III_

* * *

 

One-Thirty-Three AM.

That is what the clock read as L gave it a quick glance while typing on the laptop seated in front of him. The others had retired to their homes hours long ago, leaving the bushy-haired man to himself for some well-needed peace and serenity.

L didn't hate those on the investigation squad, mainly for the reason he could not due to their needed assistance, but also the raven-haired man found that hating others to be a waste of time, and it was a difficult for L to hate anyone to begin with. Perhaps because he was not a personable man? Or maybe because L thought of hate as such a strong ideal, that it did not deserve to be connected to humans themselves, but more their actions and ideals. Either way, L knew that one could not hate those who were assisting him in the most important case of his life, especially when those of the Task Force were somewhat of good beings, though their faults could be read sometimes quite easily. But L still could not place this odd feeling he had for the other men. Was it distrust? Lack of faith? What was it?

With a heavy sigh as he continued to type up the reports of the similarities and differences between Kira's victims, along with glancing at the papers listing the suspects he was investigating at the time, that which included Raito Yagami, star student and son to Soichiro Yagami, the raven came to realize what it was he had been feeling towards these men for the past few days:

He disliked the change he had had to make when it came to asking others for help.

If there was one thing L, the World's Greatest Detective, hated, it was change. He was a monotonous being, wanting to keep things simplistic, clean, and running how they usually did. L had never had to ask any police force for great assistance on any case he had ever solved. Sure, he sometimes asked them to help somewhat, and that was fine and all, but...

He had never had to show his face to any of those men and women before, along with ask them for a great load of help as he had asked of Soichiro Task Force.  
It wasn't that L didn't think he could handle the Kira case on his own, he did, but the twenty-four year old had come to the conclusion the police's assistance and connections would some day soon be needed. And that could only happen if L showed his face to the men whose trust he needed, and get them to work with him personally.

Thinking of all this had put L in a bad mood, again, so he pressed a small black button on the large laptop in front of him, connecting him to Watari's room.

"Watari, I need something sweet to clear my thoughts."

"..."

There was no response on the other line.

"Watari? Oh, you're probably busy at the moment. No matter, once you are finished, bring me a piece of that strawberry cheesecake you bought yesterday, yes?" With another click, the connect was cut, and L let out another tired sigh, curling up into his traditional crouch even more as he glanced through the paperwork spilled out in front of his ebony-gray eyes.

The main room's door creaked open not a moment later, and L didn't even turn his head to look at the man standing in the doorway, the golden light from the hall shining into the large room, with multiple lounge chairs and two couches, one of which L was sitting on at that moment.

"Ah, Watari, can you just leave the cake on the table? I need my privacy for the moment."

"..." Silence, except the footsteps grew louder, therefore closer. But L noticed the sound the footsteps made; they were quieter than Watari's normal footsteps. It was if he had on a different pair of shoes.

"...Watari, are you alright? You are awfully quiet tonight. Did you bring the cake?" The raven tried to hide the eagerness in the voice.

"..." The footsteps silently stopped and now L could feel a presence behind him, but he still did not turn his head, instead choosing to gaze at his paperwork even longer.

"...Watari, is something-"

The man behind bent down near L's ear quickly, L could sense it, and automatically, he knew this was not Watari.

"Aw, L, I'm sorry. It's not Watari." Came the dark whisper from over the raven's right shoulder, and L audibly gasped.

He knew that voice. That dark, maniacal voice.

A voice he'd known long ago, but hadn't heard it is ages.

A voice... that should be dead.

With breakneck speed, L jumped up from the couch, and turned around, his normally wide, dark eyes even wider in fear and shock.

_It...It is him.... But..._

The detective just stared, openly gaped at the other man standing before him.

It.... was _B_.

The other stood there, looking exactly like L: Messy raven locks, white T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and tennis shoes. The only major difference in appearances was one thing: B's blood-red eyes. L had never known why they were red, only that they were, and they both shocked and amazed him at the same time. The copy was also holding a jar of strawberry jam precariously in his bony, pale hands.

"B... Backup..." L quietly sputtered out to the other.

B had had a toothy grin at the mention of his letter identity, but it turned into a sad pout at the mention of what he used to be called.

"You still refer to me as that... that hurts, Lawli."

Another audible gasp from L at the partial mention of his real name, his eyes widening to their furthest extent.

"H-How...?"

"How I know of your real name is of no importance to you, L. You are probably wondering how I'm alive, yes?"

L gave a silent blink as a reply, not trusting his voice or the majority of his body at the moment

"I'll take the blink as a yes, then." B smirked to himself as he unscrewed the jar of jam, "I hope you don't mind I took this from your fridge, I just couldn't resist!" He gave a toothy smile as he flung the lid across the room, the metal top hitting the wall closet to L with a clang.

B began to dig his hands into the jam, pulling out the gooey substance with vigor and passion, his red eyes lit up with an ecstasy-like look. The younger one wasted no time, and began to lick the jam right off his hand, his eating habits mimicking that of a wild animal.

L internally grimaced at the animalistic display, even more so when B dunked his hand again into the small jar, drawing out more jam and continued to eat it in his fashion with many a noisy slurp.

"...Normally....I wouldn't....talk while....I eat....but....I don't....we don't....have much time....so..." B took a long slurp of the jam here, "I shall speak now."

The detective just stared at the other, who breathed quietly then opened his mouth with a devilish smirk attached to speak.

"Did you really think I would die just like that L? So...pathetically? So...simple? Did you really think I would have a death such as that in that insane asylum? That is where those at the Los Angeles Prison sent me you know...they thought I was crazy, L."

L blinked, finally trusting himself enough to respond.

"....It was assumed Kira killed you, Back-"

"Don't. Call. Me. THAT!" B screamed and in a insane motion, threw the jam jar across the wall, it shattering into hundreds of small pieces, jam sticking to the wall in a paint-splattered fashion.

The copy pouted but sighed, "Oh, well, I did want to leave a calling card anyway..." B smirked at L, a haunted smirk that sent chills down the insomniac's spine.

"Do you still think I am an apparition, Lawli? Well, I am not. ...You went to that asylum once you heard of my death, did you not? I know you did."

"...Yes, I did. I requested to see your body in the asylum's morgue."

The smirk deepened to epic proportions, "And? Did you see me, Lawli?"

"...No, and I ask you this B: stop calling me by that incessant nickname."

B pouted at the request, "You aren't really in a position to be ordering me around, Lawli-chan. As I was saying, yes, you could not have seen me, for I was not to be dead."

"...But what about the reports stating Beyond Birthday was dead?" L glowered at the addition of "chan" to his partial-true name.

"Ah! You do remember my real name!" B smiled a toothy grin, his eyes lighting up with joy, but the look and smile vanished as quickly as they came, "It's just too bad you choose not to call me that. Anyway, concerning those reports, they were false. Lies printed up by the asylum. Besides, do you not realize Kira could not have killed me? Did you not order my face to not be shown on television or released to the public in any way?"

"....Yes, I did order that."

"For your own safety, is that not true, L?"

"Again, yes, B. I did want those close to me who have seen my face, mostly those located at Wammy's, to see another one who looked like me or become frightened. The same with those in public in case I ever did need to show my face to others."

"Exactly, Lawli. You did it to protect yourself. And the others at Wammy's....the ones you have always cared about....save me, of course."

"....How are you here? How did you get here? How did you find me?" Now the questions were coming too rapidly, different from moments ago when they would not come out at all.

"I escaped the asylum of course. My Lawli-chan, has your brain decreased in IQ points?" B shook his head sadly, "That asylum's security was terrible, and that guard was an idiot", he mumbled under his breath, "He shouldn't have carried a knife so plainly in view." The copy made a dissenting clicking sound with his tongue.

"As for how I got here, well, I just bided my time, watching the news, wondering where in the world my little Lawli would end up, and then the Kira case comes into view!" Beyond smiled another toothy smile. "And there you are, announcing on television your challenge to Kira. I was so proud and so joyous that you had finally appeared before me once again."

"...But this hotel...how did you find out I was here, at this place exactly?"

BB smiled, and gave a small chuckle, "Why L, don't you know that black Mercedes stand out here in Kanto? Seeing that drive around with Watari at the wheel led me right to you! You order Quillish around a lot, don't you? Along with the fact that I just hung around at the many expensive hotels here in Kanto, just biding my time, waiting for you to appear before me."

L blinked apprehensively, still staring at B, whose red-eyes just continued to gaze back.

"Well, any more questions, L? As I said, we do not have much time to idly chitchat."

"Yes, where is Watari!" The older man came floating back to L's mind, "And why are you here!"

"Watari is a little busy at the moment; I guess you could say he is....locked up in other pressing matters?" A small grin from Beyond sent L into a frenzy of worry.

"And....as for why you are here..." B finally moved after ages of standing still, moving elegantly closer, like a big cat in the African jungle hunting down its prey, towards L, a malicious and diabolical gleam in his eyes.

"...Y-Yes? What is it?" The detective tried not to show fear through words or actions, but his body moved automatically, defensively, away from B, his back pressing closer and closer towards the wall and fireplace.

"Why....it's you." Beyond charged at L, shoving him against the wall, and the older man lost his balance, head hitting the edge of the fireplace, and L found his body tumbling towards the ground.

The sweets-lover let out a groan as he tried to stand up, eventually accomplishing the task, and placed a bony hand on his bleeding head.

"Aww....did Lawli hurt himself?" Beyond mocked sweetly, a teasing grin playing on B's lips.

"You..." L finally got his grounding back, and sent a flying kick towards B's face, but...

The copy caught it. Swiftly and acrobatically, the younger, red-eyed man caught it with his hand.

"Did you really think I cam here unprepared L? I know of your fighting skills...so I trained as well." With strength unforeseen by the insomniac, B flung L across the room, his head banging into the wall again, this time L falling to the floor knowing he would not be getting up anytime soon.

"That wasn't my full strength Lawli...you should thank me that I did not throw you out the window or into the fireplace again."

L only gave a groan in reply, trying to raise his voice in a scream, but failing miserably.

B softly stepped over to the prone man holding his head, and quietly whispered.

"Shh....you're alright, Lawli....I can't hurt you that much yet...I'm not finished with you...we still have lots more games to play...I wouldn't let you die before the fun is over..."

Beyond smiled, and L saw through his lidded eyes the other man pull out a small cloth and L knew it had to be drugged, most likely with chloroform.

The detective's eyes flashed open and he let out a gargled scream as B slapped the cloth over his mouth, and L could already begin to smell the drug; but he continued to struggle, his hips and legs bucking lethargically, but still it was movement.

"Don't struggle, L....it will all be over soon." He quietly whispered, with a scary soothing tone right into the insomniac's ear and B took a quick sniff of L's midnight locks, letting out a small mewl at that unique scent of the other.

L could feel the drug taking effect rather speedily; his legs stopped their movements, and his head fell to the side. His gray-black eyes beginning to close.  
Beyond gave a bigger smile, and softly kissed L's forehead.

"Rest, my soon-to-be bloody angel....we'll have fun when you wake up..."

That kiss was the last thing L felt before his world went black...

* * *

 

**BANG**

**BANG**

**CRASH**

Finally, after two hours of trying, Quillish Wammy had busted down the closet door that he had been locked in. He felt like a very, very, large idiot for being fooled and tricked by Beyond Birthday. He hadn't seen the lad in years, and here he just appeared out of nowhere! The young man had come into the kitchen, and at first, Watari thought of B as L...but was instantly fooled when the other shoved him into the kitchen closet.

"Ryuzaki, are you-!"

Watari stopped as he entered the main room. It was dead silent, papers strewn everywhere, L's laptop still standing strong though, but what Watari noticed greatly was the massive amount of jam on the far wall, and the shattered glass as well. There were also a few drops of blood near the fireplace, and the elder's heart sank.  
Running to the window, he tried to see if anything suspicious was afoot outside, but he hypothesized Beyond was long gone.

With a sigh of anguish, Watari ran out of the main room, bringing out his cell phone.

He had to alert Yagami-san...L was missing...kidnapped...

Their L was kidnapped...


	2. Chapter 2: Shattered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter yay!
> 
> Sorry for the delay, as i said in one of the comments i'll try to update once a week, preferably fridays or saturdays. 
> 
> I'm a college student so sometimes i dont have the time so please bear with me.
> 
> And dont worry i WILL finish this fic so be ready for the journey.
> 
> Disclaimer: Neither Death Note nor Another Note belongs to me, including their characters.

* * *

_The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man_  
_knows himself to be a fool._

  
_-"As You Like It", Act V, Scene I_

* * *

 

Pain….pure, aching pain.

That was what L felt first as he cracked open his pale eyelids, his body and mind trying to adjust to the bright light streaming in from somewhere….

The detective couldn't remember much. He figured all that had happened last night was just a horrible nightmare due to him falling asleep again. It would not be the first time he dreamt about Beyond…..Backup…..B. The man had haunted his sleep, along with others from L's past, numerous times. So the raven thought it was safe to assume that it had all been a nasty repeated dream, and that he would awaken on the couch, or perhaps his bed if Watari decided to lay his frail body on a more comfortable setting.

Not a moment later did L's eyes become adjusted, and his worst fear came true: It wasn't a dream.

The twenty-four year old found himself in a gigantic room, completely made of metal and rusty bolts and nails. There were large horizontal windows on the east and west walls, letting sunlight stream in. L tilted his head somewhat and could see a door on the north and south walls, leading to unknown destinations. The rest of the room was plain, with only a few pieces of large or small scrap metal scattered about. From the square metal ceiling hung…some unknown objects; L could not tell what they were from this angle.

To alleviate that problem, L tried to sit up, and was able to but…..

When he tried to move his legs, he couldn't.

Shocked that the normal motion of a human being could not be completed, his head shot down towards his legs, and he ogled at his ankles, which had been chained to the rusty bed frame, holding the mattress he was lying upon. Not only that, it seemed that his legs could not move at all, even if he was to be chained, L figured he still should have been able to move somewhat. But it was to no avail.

Then, the insomniac turned to his wrists, and gasped as he saw that they were chained to the bed frame as well. These rusty, silver chains were longer though, so L could move his arms somewhat.

More angered than frightened, for L was one not to be frightened easily, he snarled and screamed at the top of his lungs.

" **BEYOND**!"

Boiling with fury, the detective breathed roughly, waiting for the man he called to appear. He knew in his mind, with one-hundred percent, that Beyond would not just leave him here to die.

Not a moment later was a demon-like cackle heard, echoing off the walls of the room, and the entire building…whatever the building was.

"Aww…Lawli's already screaming my name…how sweet." The door on the south side creaked open with a screech, and L turned his head to see B leaning against the door frame. "You missed me, didn't you Lawli?" A creepy smile settled on B's face, sending chills down the detective's spine.

One thing was different about B this time. His shirt was no longer white like L's, but was now a midnight black. It was still the same style, long three-quarters of sleeves, but the color had changed. Seeing it made L think of Yin-Yang, and the whole black-white, good versus evil debate; perhaps Beyond wanted to contrast L in somewhat?

"Oh…you've noticed I've changed. I prefer black over other colors, L. Did you think there was some stupid symbolism behind the change?" B mocked with a smirk.

"Hmph. I am not surprised you love black, you always seemed to love the macabre side of life more…Yes, I did think of symbolism. I must over-think too much…you are not that deep of a person to think of something such as symbolism."

B snarled and steeped closer, his eyes afire with anger.

"No, it's not that. Why should I waste symbolism on someone such as you, L?"

"Tell me where I am." L ordered, his rage building into pure flames of anger.

"Again with the ordering around, Lawli? You really need to get off your high horse."

"So do you." L retaliated immediately, internally grimacing as Beyond decided to sit down on the bed near L in a crouch that mimicked the detective's, but far enough to where B could not touch him.

Beyond pouted, his face changing into a kicked puppy's expression.

"Do you really think that Lawli-chan?"

"Well, you kidnapped me due to your ridiculous obsession with me, thinking you are above me, so yes, I do think you need to be pushed off that high horse of yours."  
B's pout dipped, and L felt no pity for his words. His anger blocked out all other emotions.

"…R…Ridiculous?" Beyond whispered quietly, "What I want…is ridiculous?"

"How the hell should I know what you want?" L cried angrily.

The pout instantly disappeared, and B started to shake as evil giggles flew from his mouth.

"Kyahaha…what I want…What I want Lawli…" Beyond turned his maniacal smile and gleam in his eyes to L's ebony orbs, "Is to make you suffer…like I've suffered. Do you not realize that?"

L audibly gasped, but stated calmly, "Why?"

"You have everything…I have nothing…..I've always had nothing…so you must pay."

"Is this revenge for arresting you during the Los Angeles Murder Case?" L questioned quietly.

"…That's part of it. But I have other reasons for this as well."

"Care to share those reasons with your hostage, B?"

Beyond sighed, and shook his head, "No, not at the moment, L; perhaps later on. You are going to be here a while, so there's lots of time."

"Hah," Now it was L's turn to shake his head, "Watari will find me; I know he knows that it was you that kidnapped me. He and those at Wammy's will find me, and I am working with the police on the Kira case, so they shall assist as well."

"Hehe…Watari may be searching for you, but I have very high doubts he shall find you. I chose this gigantic warehouse just for that reason. We're fairly far from the Kanto area…and this area is abandoned."

"Warehouse? So that is where you stash me…"

"Stash? Oh, no, not stash. Keep….like a little secret pet that no one can know about, Lawli." Beyond's smile turned into one that a schoolgirl might have if her crush just asked her out on a date.

"L is no one's pet, Beyond." L growled out, wishing that the chains holding him would just vanish so he could throttle the man before him.

"Aww…then I must be no one then to you L, but that really isn't a surprise, but you see, L, you are my pet now…my belonging. My precious angel…who shall be punished for his crimes."

"You sound like Kira….how cute. And what do you mean, you are nothing to me?"

Beyond curled his hands into fists, and stood, surprising L, and came close to the insomniac's face.

In an instant, a fist connected with L's cheek, sending him flying back onto the bed with a scream.

"Never compare me to Kira! I am nothing like him!" Beyond screamed with rage and…sadness in his voice. "Never, never!"

"But you are! You plan to kill me, don't you!"

Beyond let out a heartbreaking whine, and threw another punch at L's face, hitting its target perfectly.

"Don't tell me what I plan to do! Only I know what I shall do! You know nothing!" Beyond ranted, "And your friends at the police will never come to your rescue! They hate you, you are not their friend! L has no friends; no one cares about him because L cares about no one!"

L was silent, facing the wall, not even giving a glance at the copy.

After a minute of hearing Beyond's harsh breathing from the screaming, L spoke up.

"Are you quite finished?"

"Hehe…I'm just getting started with you, Lawli…..with yelling, for now."

"You're wrong about me, Beyond. You cannot say I have no friends for you do not know me."

"And you do not know me…you never have." B returned with a poisonous tone. "But I know everything about you, Lawli-pop…."

"You say that like you do, but in all honesty you don't, Beyond. And…Lawli-pop?" L was torn between being disgusted by that name, or whether he should compliment B on his word-usage and creativity. He decided on the former.

"Mmm…Lawli-pop…like the candy." Beyond smiled dreamily, looking at L as his head tilted at an odd angle. "Lawli-pop, Lawli-pop, oh how sugary sweet. Soon you shall kneel before me at my feet." He sang in a sing-song voice.

"Cute rhyme, but I am afraid it is not going to happen, B." L glared at the other man, who pouted again with a sad sigh.

"Oh, Lawli, why are you still so stubborn? Only I know of what I am to do with you. I shall not be telling you, because that will spoil the fun for both of us!"

"If you plan to try to scare me, I suggest you think of a better way than to just chain me to this bed."

"Oh, don't worry. This warehouse has multiple rooms, you will be chained to that bed a lot though, but I'll let you move around to the other rooms with my permission and watchful eye of course. And don't worry…I shall scare you enough.", Beyond chuckled darkly, "Soon you shall fear me Lawliet, very soon. And the best part is, no one shall find you here…..no one shall find you. You're here, in a small abandoned area of the Tohoku region. You'll be mine here forever Lawli…forever here to suffer."

L smirked, "Suffer? You can do your worst to me, Beyond, and I shall not suffer. I have gone through harder instances in my life than this."

  
"…..You are a fool, Lawli; a sad, lying fool. You say you have suffered, but have you actually? You do not know of suffering, no one ever taught you that." The jam-lover smirked, "So I shall be your teacher."

With an animalistic snarl, Beyond lunged at L, his hands going on either side of L's head, his bony legs under his jam and blood stained jeans going each on one of L's sides, touching the detective's legs barely. In essence, he was almost straddling the older man underneath him.

"Now, Lawli, I'm impatient…..let's have fun shall we? And don't worry if we get messy. I brought lots of your clothes, food, and I bought a lot of other things at stores too. I'm going to take good care of you, Lawli-pop."

Finally, L was becoming scared, but he showed no emotion other than anger and pure rage.

"Get off of me, B." He calmly ordered, staring into the fire-red eyes gazing solely into his own ebony-gray orbs.

"Never." The copy whispered evilly, and in seconds, he lunged at L's neck, and began to….  
Kiss it?

L audibly gasped at the movements, the rough kisses on his pallid neck becoming rougher and rougher by the second.

"G-Get off! Dammit, why won't my legs work! Beyond, what is the mean-?"

The wielder of the Eyes slapped a hand over L's mouth, silencing him.

"Lawli needs to learn when to shut his mouth. You're legs don't work because I injected a hand-made drug into your system, L. I've studied some chemistry over the past few months, preparing for this, and I've made my own concoction. Of course, I had to test it out on others first…I'm sure you've seen those murders in Germany yes? Where the victims had odd drugs found in their system, and had died of an "overdose" due to the strange drug being forcefully injected into them? That was me…didn't they ask you to help on that case? Oh, probably not…Kira has taken over completely in your life, hasn't he? Anyway, I've finally made it perfect…the right amount of sedatives, liquor and other drugs have made the perfect appendage sedative. It won't last for long, so we need to make this quick."

Finally, after many harsh moments, L finally showed fear. His body and mind couldn't hold it in anymore; his eyes widen to their furthest extent, his body tensing up, and Beyond smirked when he felt it.

"Are you experiencing fear for the first time, L? How cute….and I feel honored I'm making you experience it for your first time. Like…I'm…taking away your virginity to fear…" An evil smile glistened in the morning sunlight, "And now I shall take away the other type of virginity you possess."

L gasped, and with Beyond's hand still over him, he tried to scream, and move his torso, but it was to no avail. The chains nearly prevented all movement, and not only that, Beyond was no light-weight either.

"Shh….don't struggle…or better yet, do. I want to make you suffer, Lawli. But…you're screaming…though I want to hear it, maybe I should muffle it….no, and it doesn't matter, no one could hear it. I want to hear you scream in agony. In pain, in despair, in fear, I want to hear it all L. Besides, I can gag you at another time…we are going to be here a long time, as I said before."

Beyond instantly lunged again at L's neck, but this time, biting it roughly in one spot. So roughly, the raven underneath B let out a piercing scream that could have shattered window and deafened the young. Another gargled groan escaped L's lips as Beyond continued to bite harder, eventually piercing the skin, and the copy raised his head triumphantly.

"Finally…I've marked you as mine, Lawli." B whispered, and L could see a bright red mark on his neck that would eventually turn into a dark blue bruise. Two tiny drops of blood flowed from the pallid neck, and Beyond smirked, bending down to lick at the tiny drops, giving a shiver and a small purr like that of a feline while doing so.

"G-Get off…of me!" L shouted, and tried to move his arms to push Beyond off, but failed; the chain was only long enough for him to stretch his arms, but little movement, such as pushing or pulling, was unavailable as options.

The jam-lover pouted, "Aw…Lawli…don't act like that…"

"Y-You're insane! Get off!" L regretted the words the instant they left his pale, thin lips.

"I-In….Insane? You think I'm insane **TOO**? You'll pay for saying that Lawli!" Beyond screamed, and in an instant, he'd ripped L's shirt into pieces, flinging them aside, strewn to the ground like pieces of paper.

"B-Beyond, I-"

**SLAP**

The noise rang out through the room as B's hand made contact with L's cheek.

"Shut. UP." Beyond lunged at L's exposed chest, repeatedly biting and nipping all over the porcelain skin; L screamed at each rough bit, wincing, and groaning, all of which was music to B's ears.

"S-Stop this…Beyond…we can…w-work-"

"If you are about to say we can work this out, you are wrong, Lawli." The biting became worse, and blood started to appear again, Beyond lapping it up like a dog at a water bowl.

"Mmm…..delicious…sweet, like you." He whispered as his face loomed over the detective's black eyes clashing with red.

"Beyond, please, can't we-mmph!" The raven was cut off as Beyond's lips hungrily attacked his lips, demanding, no, forcing entrance into L's mouth with his tongue. The copy began to nip at L's lips, drawing even more blood from there.

"Blood…your blood is the sweetest of all the blood I have tasted, Lawli-pop."

"S-Stop it…" L softly called out, "C-Can't we…t-talk…" He tried not to let fear show through voice or eyes, but it was very difficult.

"The time for talking ended ages ago, Lawliet. Now…is the time for action."

B backed up, and unbuttoned his own jeans, sliding them off slowly, as if he was trying to seduce the other; as he did so, though, he spoke, his words contradicting that idea.

"Don't think I am trying to seduce you, L, you vain man. This is just to show you on what you shall forever be missing out on." Beyond's black boxers slid off next, falling gracefully to the floor.

L's walls finally cracked; his face paled to epic proportions, his ebony eyes wide enough like that of a frightened child. He knew what was coming next.

"Beyond, don't."

"Hmm…..I don't think so. And you can't do a damn thing about it, Lawli." An evil smile, full of hate and loathing, shone upon the copy's lips, and he lunged at L, unbuttoning the detective's jeans, and lowering them down to the older one's ankles. Boxers came down next, and the raven's face had now contorted into worry, a grimace on his face, his eyes alit with shining tears already.

"Aww….Lawli's already gonna cry?" Beyond mocked, "…Wonderful."  
…  
L didn't know what came first, the pain or the blood. But the moment Beyond's member slid into him, raw, he screamed a violent scream, and the tears waiting to fall were released, flowing freely like raindrops on a window pane.

"B-Beyond! Stop! Get out!" He screamed, trying his best to move his still movable torso, but B was far too heavy to lift off. "Get out!"

B had thrown his head back, his blood-eyes wandering back, an evil grin on his face.

"Is Lawli in pain? He's bleeding….and crying…..how cute."

L shivered; the feeling of being split in two coursing through his veins. And Beyond wasn't fully sheathed yet, and more blood was flowing out.

Beyond didn't waste anymore time; in seconds he pushed forcefully into L, one-hundred percent of the way.

L let out another deafening scream, his fingernails clenching into the palms of his hands, scratching the picture-perfect skin.

" **BEYOND**!"

" **KYAHAHA**! I knew you'd be screaming my name soon enough! I am never wrong!

The detective was helpless, chained up, tears flowing in a steady stream. So this is what it felt like to be raped….to be broken in half as if he was an old toy…

The pain didn't stop though, it wouldn't, for Beyond began to thrust in and odd, repeatedly, roughly, showing no compassion for the other.

But this wasn't a love-making session…it wasn't even a fuck between two lovers who were in the mood for some rough fun…

There was no love behind Beyond's actions, only hate, detest and despise…..

Every thrust made L scream in agony, and ever scream made more tears shed. L hadn't cried in years….

"Is Lawli…..not enjoying this? He…isn't turned on either…how sad…"

"Y-You're raping m-me…and you…expect me…to be turned…on?" The raven screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Well, I guess not….I can't expect that, can I? You are being taken by force…..and unwillingly….but at least I am turned on by your pain, Lawli."

The thrusting sped up quickly, continuing their rough, hurtful pace, their animalistic pace, and L's screaming was only dying down due to the fact that his voice was becoming hoarse and wheezy. His body still racked with pain, his eyes wide, staring at nothing. He could not, would not, stare into those red eyes that were so locked upon his own.

It continued like that for only God knows how long…..ten minutes, twenty? Either way, L's body had completely numbed itself to everything else but pain…the pain…..his pain. His heart shattering pain that echoed throughout his body and soul, like a crying phantom. It wasn't stopping, B was showing no mercy, and each thrust, each cry of hateful pleasure that escaped Beyond's lips sent shivers down through L's body, right into his heart.

…After so long, too long, it was over. L Lawliet could feel Beyond's juices enter him, and the murderer exited his body rapidly, silently.

The detective stared at the west wall, not saying a word, tears still cascading down his face.

With his back to L, B began to dress mutely; inside his maniacal mind was turning….

_What does he think of me now…? The fool...I've shattered him, and yet he's silent as a lamb…what is his problem…? Is he too much of a man to admit pain…? He is human, yes…but…_

Finally, the chained raven let out a gargled cry, a whimper and whispered,

" **I hate you now** …" Another whimper and finally, L was letting out sobs, curling into himself like an unborn babe.

The "now" wasn't lost on Beyond, but he didn't respond. How could he? What was left there to say?

Nothing.

B headed towards the north door silently, and pushed it open with a bang. He exited, but the copy returned a moment later with one of L's shirts that he had stolen. The man who wielded the Eyes laid it gently on the detective's body, and headed back towards the still open door, back turned towards L. He figured L could pull his clothes back on himself, the chains should allow that; if not…he'd fix it later, when he wasn't so confused yet so overjoyed at the same time.

Beyond finally made it to the doorway, hunched back still turned towards L, and he quietly whispered,

"I know." And slammed the door shut, leaving L trapped, alone on the bed, chained….

Shattered. Both L's, the World's Best Detective, and L Lawliet, had shattered into nothingness.

The ebony eyes turned to the ceiling and L finally got a good look at the objects on the ceiling.

They were Wara Ningyo, thirteen dolls to be exact. Six of them were nailed to the metal roof, while the other seven were hanging by string tied around their necks; that string nailed to the ceiling.

While L laid there, naked, cold, and alone, he wondered…..

Wondered if those straw dolls represented Beyond's victims….and…

If a doll was to be placed up there…..representing him….

* * *

 

"What do you mean he's been kidnapped?" Suichi Aizawa screeched in shock, "L! Our L? How?"

"Please, Mr. Aizawa, you must calm down." Watari tried to soothe the erratic afro-adorned man, "I am trying to handle the situation as quickly as possible."

"Well, we're the damn police! We have to do something!" The other man countered.

"Aizawa, how?" Soichiro piped up, "This is L we're talking about. We can't exactly post up filers and alert the media that the World's Greatest Detective is missing. One, L's face cannot get out, and two, do you realize that the crime rate worldwide would escalate?"

"Y-Yeah…but…." Aizawa knew everything the Chief had said was the moral truth.

"But what can we do?" Matsuda spoke up, "We need to find him! He's supposed to solve the Kira case! And…..what if this person hurt him or kills-"

"Matsuda, don't say that. We can't think like that." Soichiro reprimanded the younger man.

"I'm afraid Matsuda's fears may not be far enough," Watari stated calmly, " I know of the man who has kidnapped L, and I wish I could tell you whom, but Ryuzaki wishes it to be kept confidential."

"What! Then how can we help him!" Aizawa sputtered incredulously.

"I am doing my best Mr. Aizawa," The older guardian stated, "I am in contact with others, we are doing our best….For now, Ryuzaki would want you all to continue the Kira case without him, and just have him in your thoughts and prayers. He is a strong man, he can survive anything."

I hope…

The men nodded, and not a moment later, a knock came from the hotel room's door.

Quillish Wammy calmly answered it, and seeing Raito Yagami he gasped.

"Mr. Raito…" He gave a small smile, "How lovely to see you."

"Yeah, hello Watari." The young man who was secretly the killer the whole team was searching for bowed, "It's nice to see you all as well. Ryuzaki wanted me to help today, right?"

That idiot…..does L think he can beat me…? This will be my just-filled world…

The college student entered the room, and at seeing the down faces, he knew something was wrong.

"…..Where's Ryuzaki?" He questioned, not seeing the sweets-lover in the room, eating or typing or working….or doing anything.  
Those words sent Aizawa into a rage, storming around the room, punching a wall, and he headed into the nearest bedroom, swearing. Matsuda's head fell into his hands, his young body shaking. Mogi's fingers came to his temple, rubbing it with a shake of his head.

"Dad, what's-"

Soichiro came to his son, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Son….Ryuzaki was kidnapped last night. We don't know who took him, but Watari does, and is trying to work on finding him. I'm sorry; I know he was your friend."  
Raito was honestly shocked, and it showed on his face, he didn't hide it, and felt there was no need to. He did have to play the part of the worried friend, yes?

"Y-You're not serious…."

"I'm afraid I am."

Internally, Raito was shocked, but….

Also overjoyed.

So…it seems L isn't as strong as he seems to be…that idiot, he probably has many enemies…finally…finally, L is out of my way…though I wish I could kill him myself, and I'm not sure if that kidnapper will do it…but from the way everyone is acting, it sounds like L is in a dangerous, deadly situation…but…now I don't have to worry about him finding Misa, or suspecting me…this…this is…

"Dad, everyone….we need to continue the Kira case for Ryuzaki." Raito proclaimed sternly, "I know he would want it."

"Yes, Watari already said that we should," The chief of the NPA stated to his son, "We shall, and I know soon Ryuzaki shall return to us."

Raito nodded, internally smirking, the power of Kira coursed through his veins even faster….

This…this is…

Perfect.

Absolutely Perfect…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're liking the fic please leave kudos or comments.
> 
> It helps me to know that people are actually enjoying this or not.
> 
> See you soon.


	3. Chapter 3: Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys im sorry i couldn update the past friday.
> 
> My nephew was born on thursday so i have been crazy running here and there.
> 
> Heres the new chapter, im sorry if there are mistakes in the notes or the chapter. My keyboard is half broken half crazy.
> 
> Enjoy.

_Conscience is but a word cowards use,_   
_devised at first to keep the strong at awe._

_\- "King Richard III", Act V, Scene III_

* * *

 

He was still lying there…..just…..lying there.

Like a wounded animal, a broken doll….a dead body.

Except L Lawliet was far from dead, Beyond Birthday knew that.

Not only because he had not killed L, but also because of the floating numbers above the older one's head.

Numbers that only Beyond Birthday could see.

He also knew L didn't know he was there…either that, or L was not paying attention to the hunched figure of B who was discreetly watching from the south door's frame, the steel door open just a tiny crack.

The detective was just lying there on that dirty mattress, on that rusty bed frame; wide-awake, staring at the east wall.

And B would have almost given up everything just to read that man's thoughts.

_I hate you now…_

_I hate you now…_

_I hate you now…_

The words rang in Beyond's mind, again and again, like a never-ending symphony.

_Now…_

_Now…_

_Now…_

The "now" continued to echo, echo like a scream, but also a whispering wind blowing through a haunted wood.

_He's lying…he's always hated me…always…Since when did L ever care about me? Or even anyone for that matter. He's never cared…not even when we were younger…_

_You never gave a damn about any of us! You lie, Lawli! You lie, lie, lie!_

Beyond growled as every moment that had shaped his life came back to haunt him….

_You lie…you never cared…it is one thing to not care, but it's another to lie about it…_

Well, no matter…

I hate you now as well…

 

_**About 8 Years ago…Wammy's house:** _

_"B!" Said man being called ignored the call of his "name", turning over in his bed._

_"A…it's early. Can't you keep it down?" B softly called, glancing at the clock, seeing the time was a quarter past seven. The 12 year old was tired, and needed his sleep._

_"B, just get up!" A called again, and B guessed that if he opened his eyes, he'd see the bubbly dirty- blonde boy jumping up and down on the bed. A normally wasn't so hyperactive and happy, but when he was, it was a happy sight to his roommate._

_"…Give me a reason why?" The brown-haired sleeping boy called._

_"L's here!"_

_B shot up immediately, his middle-length brunette locks that fell almost to his shoulders moved elegantly with his body._

_"Tell me you are NOT joking, A."_

_"Huh! Why would I joke about THAT! Our hero, our idol, is here, B, let's go see if we can see him!"_

_B didn't hesitate and he jumped out of bed and ran down the long corridor behind A. It was quiet in the hall, but B hypothesized that the majority of the children were still slumbering in their rooms._

_"I think he's in here…Room 13A…" A whispered as they came to the door, which was open just a crack. B heard voices, two to be exact, and one he instantly recognized as Watari._

_"L…you will be meeting with the top children in line for succession early this afternoon, is that alright with you?"_

_The other voice calmly replied, "Yes, I really have no choice, do I? But then again…it is best that I do so. I need to be personable with the children somewhat."_

_B softly gasped as the older man's voice rang in his ears like a beautiful melody, or a soft, gentle touch caressing his face with silken hands or a soft, cherry lips._

_Watari gave a slight chuckle, "Yes, you should L. It is for the best. I know you are only sixteen, but still…these children may one day succeed you."_

_" Not 'may' Watari, they WILL. But that shall not be for a while, hopefully; sadly, I do know that many want me dead."_

_Dead…? B wondered. Who would want this man with the voice of a thousand seraphim dead?_

_"I know, L…but all of these children are capable, believe me."_

_That was it for B; he had to see the man now. Just…at least a fleeting glance._

_So he moved closer to the crack in the door, peering slowly in._

_"B, what are you-" A whispered, but the blue-eyed boy stopped when he saw the other boy's eyes widen to epic proportions._

_B stared secretly in the other, and was in pure joyous shock._

_The young man called L had dark raven hair, and B could see the older one's ebony eyes that shone like diamonds. Dressed in baggy jeans and an old three-quarters length sleeves white shirt, the teenage L crouched upon the large bed while conversing with his guardian._

_B swore to himself he'd never forget the sight of this man…_

_He was just simply…gorgeous. There was no other word to describe him._

_Perhaps an eleven-year old boy should not feel that for another sixteen-year old man, but the child was incapable of feeling anything else._

_"Hey, let me see him!" A whispered, but B ignored him, only showing the other one a finger, signaling him to wait a minute._

_B continued to stare at the other man, looking at the name floating above his head. A name only he would forever know…_

_**L Lawliet…** _

_Beautiful…absolutely beautiful…B whispered in his mind._

_Lawliet…B promised he would remember that name forever…_

_"Hey, can I see him now?" A whispered softly, and B nodded, taking a small step back for his only friend to take a glance at the man whom B loved and admired immensely._

_Both were true; A was his only friend, and he had admired L ever since he had come to Wammy's, ever since he'd first heard of him._

_A had accepted him without hesitation, it was A's nature and personality, and Beyond thanked the stars that at least one being here on this earth cared about him, and didn't care if he was "different". That had been the word that had spread around Wammy's when he had arrived; that B was "different"; his personality, "different", his actions, "different". His "eyes"…"different"._

_And A never cared…_

_"Let's head back B! We don't want to get caught, right?" A whispered, and tugged B back to their room._

_He never would forget the sight of that beautiful young detective…that is what he swore to himself as he and his only friend ran happily back to their room._

_Yes…his only friend…_

* * *

 

Beyond cringed as A came back into his mind; he hadn't thought about the boy for years.

He also tried to not think about the day he first set his sights on L; that was just as hard to stomach. Trying to stomach the idea that he had once had complete admiration for that man was like trying to swallow a tire. Unbearable.

B would admit it; there was some part of him that still admired L. If he didn't, why go to all this trouble of keeping him alive? But the hatred was overshadowing any compassion quickly, like that of a motion of a tidal wave….

The hatred was quickly approaching its peak….

And it had been blooming for years….ever since his arrival at Wammy's House…

* * *

 

_**About 16 years ago….Wammy's House:** _

_Beyond didn't exactly remember the day he arrived at Wammy's. Being barely three, he could not remember that day one-hundred percent, per se, but he remembered voices and sounds._

_Crystal clear voices and sounds…_

_"His eyes; look at them! What…are you sure we should take him in, Mr. Wammy?" One of the nurses called out._

_Little Beyond glanced up at the old gentleman in front of him, his blood-red eyes staring upon the face and name…_

_Quillish Wammy…what a name…B wondered silently in his head. He had gotten used to the Eyes…his parents had never known about them…or did they? B could never tell, for they had hated Beyond with passion…was it because of the Eyes? They had never mentioned them…not even when they died in that accident._

_Right in front of B…and he had seen it coming…_

_He'd seen their numbers run out._

_The tot also didn't know how he'd acquired the Eyes; all he knew was what they were (again, he did not know how he knew…perhaps it was automatic knowledge at acquiring the Eyes?) and what he saw._

_"He shall be a welcome addition to the family, Carol." The old man told the nurse at his side, "Perhaps one day he might even surpass L…"_

_"If you say so…" The woman doubted her "boss", and it showed in her tone._

_Months, no, years went by and the "warm welcome" had never come._

_But that wasn't a surprise…Beyond knew people hated him, and it wasn't even because of his Eyes, for no one knew of them._

_It was just because he was "different", the one word which he despised more than anything else._

_But that was alright, B kept to himself; he needed to…_

_For once he'd heard about L, he wanted to be great enough to obtain L's respect and admiration…_

_And once he met A, that didn't change. He still wanted L's affection; he was all that mattered to him…_

_All that mattered…_

* * *

 

"Affection….what bull. I didn't want affection." The copy whispered to himself as he continued to watch L, who was now trying to sit up, but winced and softly screamed in pain, which was joyous music to Beyond's ears.

"I wanted respect. Nothing more…"

Oh, if only Beyond could see he was lying to himself….

* * *

 

**_About 8 years ago…..Wammy's House….same day as before…..:_ **

_"L, this is A, and this is B." Watari had shuffled them into L's room, both young boys standing with a smile on their faces._

_"I see…" L didn't smile, frown, or…anything. His face was an emotionless mask, but B didn't care. This was L, the L… **his L**. The one he'd work so hard for, studied for, just so L could look at him with a smile and care about him. He was the only one B needed to care about him._

_"If I can Watari, may I speak with A, in private?"_

_"Of course." Watari nodded, and took B's hand, and the dark-haired boy became worried._

_"A, I-" Beyond started to say, but Watari dragged him out took quickly, and he only saw A's caring, happy, yet somewhat worried face as the door slammed._

_It would be the last time B would see A that happy…ever._

_About thirty minutes passed, and B had been sitting outside the room on a wooden bench next to Watari._

_A somber A opened the door quietly; a sad smile on his face, and B was worried,_

_"A? What's wrong?" He nearly shouted at the other._

_"Hm? Oh…nothing. I just have more work to do…Hope I see you later, B."_

_The young child walked off, and B saw him head towards the library, and heard the door slam a moment later._

_"You can come in now, B." L softly ordered, and the child hopped down from the bench, and entered the room as L shut the door behind them._

_The teenage raven seated himself upon the bed, while B took a small seat near a desk._

_"I've heard so much about you, **Backup**. You've come very far, and have overcome so much…" L told the other._

_"Thank you L, it's such an honor…wait, what did you call me?" It was the beginning of the storm._

_"Backup. That is what I called you."_

_"…Why would you call me that? My name isn't Backup, it's Beyo-"_

_"I know what your name is. And I shall be calling you Backup or B."_

_Something inside Beyond instantly cracked just then; like…glass shattering, his heart was shattering._

_That's not my name…_

_That's not my name…_

_That's not my name…_

_"That's not my name!" He shouted at his idol, "Is that all I am to you! Just…Backup?"_

_"B, please, do not look at this the wrong way-"_

_"Wrong way? That IS all I am to you, isn't it? If A fails, I'm your "Backup"!" The young child felt tears welling up. "You don't even notice who I am, do you?"_

_"I do notice you. I've been seeing you work so hard, and-"_

_"I worked so hard so you could notice me! So I could be Beyond to you, not Backup!" The child was now hysterical, "You will notice me, L! You have to!"_

_"I do! What do you mean? Backup, explain-"_

_B wailed at the name, hands clutching his head, "I'm not that. I'm not that. I'm not that! And what did you do to A? He…He acted differently! What did you do to my friend? My only friend!"_

_"I did nothing! What are you talking about? I only told him to work harder!" L was now scared about the hysterical child; what had he said wrong?_

_"LIAR! A IS DIFFERENT! I can see it in his eyes!" Young B began to sob, "No matter…I'll work hard…And you'll notice me eventually, I swear! I swear it, L…" He whispered the next word, " **Lawliet** …"_

_L audibly gasped, hoping his hearing was mistaken…_

_But he didn't have time to question B, as the child flung open the door, and fled the room, running back to his room._

_"B! Please, come back!" L yelled after him, but didn't follow…_

_Maybe he should have…maybe he shouldn't have…_

_Maybe it wouldn't have prevented the coming hurricane of doom…_

* * *

 

Beyond's hands clenched into fists, remembering that day.

He had started to hate L that day….but he still respected him enough to want L to look up to him, to admire him, to…adore him in a way.

For he still adored L at that time…adored?

"I adored no one…nor did I want adoration…." The nineteen year old jam lover whispered softly…

And it was another lie….another lie to himself…..

* * *

 

_**About 8 years ago, three and a half weeks after first encounter with L:** _

_"A, how long have you been in there?" B called from outside the library door, which was again locked, for the twentieth time in the past three and a half weeks._

_"I'm busy, B. Just go." A ordered the young child, and Beyond began to worry._

_A had been working too hard; he could see it in the other's eyes. When he did come out of the library or study hall or classroom or even their own bedroom, the dirty-blonde boy looked ragged and stressed to immense proportions._

_It was scaring Beyond…_

_"A, you know you're working too hard. I know you really want to succeed L, but-"_

_"You don't understand, B! I need to work harder! L's counting on me, me to succeed him if something goes wrong! He needs me! You should be working hard too!"_

_"I am, A! I'm just not stressing myself out! I do work hard, but I also go outside once and awhile, or just take it easy! Or eat…when's the last time you ate, A? I'm worried about you, I don't want to lose my only friend!"_

_"Then go make more?" A snapped, and B visibly flinched. A had never said anything like that to him before! Never!_

_"I…You know I can't. They hate me…and my red eyes; and just because I like some dark thing and because I'm not sociable. They-"_

_"You can always change, B."_

_Beyond actually backed up a step from the door, as if it was a lethal disease._

_"W-What? You always told me to never change! A, what's happened to you!"_

_"I woke up…? And maybe you should-"_

_"How can you say that? What happened to you A? The A who was my best friend?" B screamed, tears starting to come forth._

_"Nothing, B, you need to calm down. Look, I-"_

_But Beyond had already run away from the door, and when A opened it, nothing could be seen, and only B's retreating footsteps could be heard._

_It was sad…B was never to know it, but if he hadn't fled, he would have seen A crying…_

_And hear him whisper:_

_"I'm sorry…I'm sorry B…c-come back…"_

_But he didn't. And he never would._

_All he heard was the library door slamming again._

* * *

 

Thinking about A's final rejection was as if he was taking another stab to the heart; it hurt like hell. Even when A had pushed him away back then, B still thought of him as a friend, even though A's words had hurt like burns from the Ninth Circles itself….

No matter…A was gone…

Forever…

And B should've seen it coming. He could see A's death date after all…..

But he had pushed it to the back of his head…

Like a sad little fool…..

* * *

 

_**About 8 years ago, five days after encounter with A at Library, around 7:15 PM:** _

_"Hey, A, are you in there?" B knocked on the bedroom door once he had noticed A was not in any of the other rooms. He hadn't seen him in five days, since their run-in near the library, and Beyond was even more worried now._

_"A, can you open the door? Please?" The dark-brown haired boy jiggled the knob to find that the door was unlocked._

_"Hey, A, are you…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

_As Beyond opened the door, he fell to the ground with a blood-curling scream that seemed to shatter glass and break hearts at the wailing noise._

_"A! NO!" Beyond screams fell on deaf ears…_

_For the hanging body of A, hung tight from a noose the boy had tied and had hung from the ceiling fan, dangled there, lifeless and cold._

_And Beyond screamed again, and continued to scream as the helpers and nurses of Wammy's dragged him away from the room._

_He continued to scream as A's body was taken from the room, and placed in another._

_He screamed into the deadly night…_

* * *

 

A part of B's heart died that day; he figured it was the beginning of his downfall into hatred and rage.

Not madness though, no, Beyond knew he was not insane….no matter who told him otherwise.

Back then, he blamed L for A's death, he was the one who told him about working harder, right? Though, then, he still wanted to get L's compassion and admiration…

He still had hope…..

But he should have known….

That that hope would die along with A…

* * *

 

**_A day after the discovery of A's body…..6 PM:_ **

_It was raining on the evening of A's funeral. How ironic, it was just like those sad movies…_

_And B's life was beginning to feel more and more like a movie every day…_

_While the other children sobbed under their own umbrellas, or those being held by the helpers, B stood there, in the pouring rain, not shedding a tear._

_It wasn't that B was not sad; he just found it hard to cry…he always had._

_The young jam lover didn't even give a gaze to the other children; he knew they would hate him now. That they would blame him for A's death, for A's suffering._

_When he had had nothing to do with it…or so he hoped._

_But he couldn't help wonder how the mistreatment would escalate…how would it evolve? Would he be beaten up more? Would he still be able to retire to him room in peace, with books, jam, and the Wara Ningyo that he had taken up to making in his frail, but strong hands._

_No matter…it would be inevitable that their hatred would boil over eventually. That was hatred's goal: Gather, Grow, and eventually…_

_Suffocate…_

_The young B did manage to look to his right, and there he saw his hero, for the second time:_

_L, standing there in the grass, barefoot, but under an umbrella held by Quillish Wammy._

_He held no emotion in his eyes, nor his lips or his face as a whole._

_The young L just stood there, staring as A's casket was lowered into the casket on the Wammy House's property._

_It was the first death in years…years._

_Something stung in B's heart as his idol showed no emotion; for even some of the astute others might be able to tell that he himself was hurt, but L?_

_The young man was a blank canvas…and it mad Beyond angry._

_His first successor died! By **his** own hand for Heaven's sake! Could he not at least show some sympathy? Empathy? ANYTHING?_

_Beyond actually gathered the courage and stepped towards his idol silently; the other not even glancing at him when he was not even two feet away._

_"He…A…is dead." B stated coldly, turning his head again as the diggers began tossing the dirt back into the grave._

_"I know." L stated matter-of-factly, as if he was speaking of the weather or the latest news._

_"…So? Do…Don't you care, L?" Beyond knew he shouldn't be talking that blatantly to L, THE L…but B was finally losing his cool._

_"Of course I care Backup. A was my successor…but now we must move on to you."_

_That was it for Beyond, he finally snapped. The chords broke into pieces, and everything in his mind fell apart._

_"B…But he just died…and you're already talking about me…L, shouldn't you-"_

_"Someone such as **yourself** should not tell someone such as **I** what I should and should not due Backup."_

_And the chords shattered as they hit the ground…_

_It was then that Beyond lost every "love-esque " emotion for L…_

_Everything turned to hate…_

_This man didn't care about him, nor A…or any of the children._

_Only himself and his succession..._

_It was clear to Beyond then that he would be nothing more than "Backup" to L; he could work forever, works so hard, do so much good…but it wouldn't matter._

_L still wouldn't give a damn about him…_

_He could stop cancer or apartheid or…chaos! Anything!_

_And L would still be the uncaring man that he was…_

_And this was only at sixteen…B didn't want to know what the man would be like in eight, ten years…_

_So he ran from the backyard, back inside…he could feel the glares of the others on his back._

_He also thought he heard L call his name, his **real** name…but, hell, that would never happen…_

_From that point on, Beyond did not want L's love, L's compassion, L's esteemed admiration…_

_He didn't want L in anyway…_

_He wanted to crush him, like the ant on the ground that had strayed to close to the bratty child…_

_He would get L to notice him, think about him, then…_

_Crush him. Destroy him._

_Surpass him…_

_If L wanted a successor so badly, then B would give it to him..._

_In the most horrific, unimaginable ways…_

_That's why, secretly, he planned L's downfall…_

_Beyond stayed at Wammy's for another three years…then he fled, disappearing for many years._

_In that time, B continued to plan, plan oh so carefully…_

_That's when he changed his appearance too; L's image was completely imprinted into his brain, never to be erased._

_And it was easy to "convince" the stylist at the hair salon to make himself exactly like L…all he had to do was draw a picture, use a knife (The stylist was insisting that they did not do such things at that salon), and bam…_

_A complete replica…_

_A complete copy…_

_That was the whole reason for the LABB murders…to surpass L. To dominate him and to exterminate him. Simple as that._

_And when Beyond had failed, when L had caught him…_

_It tore him to pieces even further…Like and old rag doll being torn up by animals even more._

_Many said that surpassing L became an obsession for Beyond…_

_But the copy denied that charge, and continued his struggling conquest to surpass the one he despised the most…_

**_December of 2003, Outside LA Prison, During the Beginning of the Kira Case:_ **

_He'd finally escaped…stupid guards…and what a repulsive security system; it made Beyond laugh._

_Now, it was time to run…_

_It was time to continue the hunt for his prey, his pretty little prey…_

_First, he would try Europe…And then move on from there…_

**_One Month After Beyond's escape, an Apartment Complex in New York, An apartment rented out under a fake name:_ **

_B had sources…very good sources._

_So when he received a letter from a "source" at the LA prison, stating a person similar looking to L had shown up, asking to see his "body", he did not buy it for a moment, and was disappointed that his "source" had let him down._

_It was nice to see though, that the men at the LA prison were handling it well…claiming that he was "dead", while in all honesty, they knew he had escaped; in fact, Beyond had encountered some of those guards on his escape…and with a few threatening words, they had bowed to his whim. They had stated he had died on January twenty-first, two thousand and four, due to a hear attack, just like he had ordered._

_How sweet…just like strawberry jam._

_But his one source, a thirty-some year old guard…well, B certainly couldn't go back and kill him, now could he? He was very disappointed that the guard had made such a blatant lie. For there was no chance, for all of the money and gold in the world, that L Lawliet would show up to see his body._

_No matter…that guard's time was almost up anyway…_

_B had seen his numbers slowly ticking down…_

**_Flight to Japan, 12:45 AM:_ **

_Beyond had seen the Kira case come to light over the internet; he had heard L's announcement over the internet…the one where he had challenged Kira…_

_Stupid L, he should have known that his large announcement would be leaked onto the web…Beyond watched it over and over._

_And even when he arrived in Japan, the news stations replayed it repeatedly; somehow, someone had been able to record it and it could be seen repeatedly all over the Kanto._

_But B knew L loved that…he wanted his message spread across not just the Kanto are, but the entire nation and world…_

_Beyond had chuckled to himself on that flight…_

_It was only a matter of time, Lawliet…_

_He was coming…_

_Coming for him…_

* * *

 

And that was it….Beyond remembered it all.

He was awaken out of his reverie when the detective in the other room gave a painful groan as he sat up and placed the shirt on his lithe body.

Beyond watched as the other tried to move his legs, but they were still immobile; the copy smiled at L's distressed sigh, that drug was not to wear off for another hour at least.

It was time for Beyond to have some more fun…..

With that, the jam-lover gave an eerie cackle, and ran to a box in that hall to get what he needed.

* * *

 

L had not a clue as to how long it had been since Beyond had….had…..

Hell, he could not say it. It was too painful to put into words. Too painful to even think about….

The raven wondered if he was still bleeding; he couldn't feel the blood anymore, but still. It was there, the pain was still there.

Before any more thoughts could scramble into the young genius' mind, the south door opened with a slam.

There stood Beyond, a maniacal smile gracing his lips…..

And a, thick, black whip in his bony, pale hands.

"No…" L whispered, his eyes alight with fear. B's previous actions had broken all his walls; he found it hard to hide his emotions like he normally did.

"Yes, Lawli….it's BACKUP'S playtime." Beyond whispered, with much emphasis on his hated surname, "And I'm going to get some information out of you as well."

"W…What do you want to know?"

"Oh, it's so cute how your fear comes out now….and it's just for me, too! Do you know how happy that makes me…?" B asked sweetly as he came closer to the frozen detective, whose ebony eyes had widen epically again, for another time that day…

"You're sick….." L whispered, "A sick bas-"

A loud snap echoed in the warehouse as the whip had cracked across L's porcelain face, leaving a thin gash across his right cheek.

"Now, now…." B bent close to L's ear, whispering, "I don't want to damage your pretty face Lawli….so I suggest you let me talk for a while, okay?

"Beyond…..s-stop…" He whispered, and B let that remark slide, for it was a plea.

And Beyond loved pleas…even more so when the pleader was L…..

With two quick motions, the copy had handcuffed his captive again, who began to shiver with fear for the second time that day…

Beyond's left hand, the right one holding the whip, then wandered to the hem of L's shirt, gently, carefully, pulling it up, revealing a thin, bony torso.

"So pretty…let's get rid of some of its purity, Lawli…" He placed a soft angle kiss right in the middle of L's chest, and B heard the other give a soft gasp….of fear? Of pleasure? It was hard to discern what exactly…..

"Beyond, what…."

SNAP

The whip cracked over L's body, and the raven let out a piercing scream; he had thought all he screaming had silenced his throat somewhat, but that had been a mistake…a big one.

"It hurts, doesn't it, Lawli! Doesn't it?" B screamed as he cracked the whip again, a second bloody gash forming on the raven.

"AH! Yes, it does! Stop it! What….what do you want?" L yelled back at the other, but that only caused Beyond to whip him again.

"WHY!" The jam-lover shouted, whipping again, "TELL ME WHY?"

"W…Why what?" L croaked out as another painful scream echoed throughout the room and the entire building.

"YOU KNOW WHAT, L! TELL ME!" Three painful cracks of the whip sounded out, and tears flowed from the raven's eyes.

"You mean…A? You? Myself! All of it? I…I don't know Beyond!"

Beyond was about to whip the man again, but halted his movements at the mention of his deceased friend.

"What?" He snapped, "What nonsense are you spewing, L?"

The detective began to sob, his upper body shaking uncontrollably.

"You….You're doing this for A, right? You….still blame me…do…d-do you…n-not?"

"Bull, L! A has nothing to do with this! And even if he did, I have my own reasons for this!" B screamed, but he stopped the whipping momentarily….for a reason even he didn't know.

"…I can see it in your eyes, B….you blame me…and…." L cut himself off as the pain was getting too much for his body, but hesitantly continued, "You…think….I never…cared about you…You may be Beyond, and I still may be a cold person, but I can read you, Beyond…" The raven whispered.

_What's he doing…! Is he messing with me…!_

"Shut up, L! I…I don't know what you're talking about!" Beyond heard himself falter, and he cursed himself inwardly. This….creature…should not be affecting him!

"Y…You do, though. I can see the sadness in your eyes Beyond…."

"I do not **think** you never cared about me; I **know** you **never** cared about me! And A either! You didn't even shed any tears at his funeral! But here you are, shedding tears for your pathetic self! That's all you care about, yourself!"

Another crack of the whip sounded, and L screamed again, turning his head away from Beyond.

"I…..I know."

Beyond blinked, and he felt his mouth opening in shock.

"W…What?" He quietly asked the chained bird.

"I know….I know I didn't cry. It is one of the biggest regrets of my life."

_He's lying, he's lying, he's lying! Don't listen, just don't! Don't be a fool!_

But B just stood there….staring, as L continued.

"I am a cold, vile person….I know that, Beyond, you did not need to force me to tell you that."

_I didn't want you to say that…! Wait, what are you saying…! What…!_

"I know it is my fault A died…I put too much pressure on him on our first meeting…and…." L slowly turned his head to stare directly into B's eyes, "I know that….it is my fault…you…became….you. And I…caused the hatred you feel for me…"

_Stop it, stop it, stop it…! Don't fall for his lies..! He's just saying this to get to you…!_

_No, is he…? Look at his eyes, he's weeping…! He's…honestly weeping..! For you…!_

_He's crying because he is in pain, don't be an idiot…_

_ But…is this not what I wanted…? His…no, I didn't want his tears…! I…I wanted… _

_You wanted his pain, moron…! You want him to suffer, and still do…! Do NOT think there is real emotion behind those tears…!_

_I wanted him to feel bad, yes, but…but…_

_But nothing, now whip him again…!_

Beyond listened to his inner thoughts, and with a wail, he lunged the whip at L's body, causing the other to scream again, a shrill scream.

"B…Beyond….."

"You're lying, L! You are, stop it!"

Four more snaps of the whip, and four more yells of painful agony…..

"I…I am not….." L whispered, and he knew he was close to losing consciousness. The pain from before, and the pain now…it…it was becoming too much for his body and mind, along with his soul.

"B…Beyond…..I….I…..know…how…e-evil I am…..and….what I did to you….and…"

"SHUT UP!" Repetitive whipping sounded out, and Beyond lost count after five cracks of the whip against the now very bloody torso.

"I….I'm…sorry…" L whispered softly, and it caused Beyond to freeze.

"You're…what? L? L!"

But L had already fallen unconscious due to the agony.

_ He…he said it…I thought he was too prideful to say it, but- _

_Stupid fool, he's just trying to use you…!_

_ He…he said he was evil…then…then what- _

"Then what does he think of me?" Beyond whispered, his red-eyes shining with a rainbow of emotions.

L's chest continued to bleed, and instantly, and inexplicably, B found himself taking off his own shirt, placing it on L's chest, dotting up some of the blood.

"I'm not doing this to be, kind….I just don't want you to bleed to death before I'm through with you." He whispered more to himself than L.

_Then why did you stop whipping him…? You could have gone on, yes?_

"It wouldn't be worth it if I couldn't see his face and hear his voice…He needs to suffer just like I did." Beyond voiced, contradicting his inner thoughts…or was it his heart?

The heart that he thought he had frozen?

_ I think he does care…but he doesn't know what to do…can't you see that? _

"All I see is a selfish man….a…a selfish, egotistical man, who-"

_And said selfish, egotistical man is the man you once loved…do you still deny it?_

B gasped; where had that thought come from?

Instantly, the jam-lover ran from the room, leaving his article of clothing on L's limp body, slamming the door behind him.

_No! That side of me died years ago! It…it died with A! It did, it did! B screamed in his head. Besides, an eleven-year old boy cannot feel love for a sixteen year old! I never felt anything for him! Never, never, never!_

The young man slumped against the wall, holding his head with both hands as conflicting thoughts echoed throughout his mind and body.

_ But you wanted his love, didn't you? You wanted HIM, and only him, to care, did you not? You though he was the most beautiful man you had ever seen! You wanted him to hold you, hug you , and kiss you! You wanted him to love you! _

_NEVER! I never wanted anything! I…I was incapable of loving, and I still am! My heart is dead, and-_

_And his words are resurrecting it! ADMIT IT! JUST ADMIT IT!_

"NEVER!" Beyond screamed loudly, his body beginning to tremble with fear and sadness.

Was his weaker side coming to life again? That could **not** happen! He was here to destroy L, not to resurrect any feelings (if there were any in the first place, but there were none) for the man! Beyond had taken L here to crush him, surpass him, and destroy him! Nothing more, nothing less!

"Yes….nothing more….nothing less…" B repeated the mantra over and over, calming his mind and body…."Nothing more, nothing less."

The jam-lover curled up into a ball on the floor, hugging his knees, as he fell into a saddening, nightmare-filled sleep….

Again…

* * *

 

**Miles away….Yagami Household, Raito's Room, 3:13 AM:**

_"Raito-kun is an excellent tennis player…"_

_"Raito-kun, you have a strong sense of justice…"_

_"Raito-kun, I suspect you of being Kira…"_

_"Raito…Raito, help!"_

_The brunette turned around as he heard L's words echoing in his head to see the raven, wide-eyes and fearful, being held by a menacing figure with blood-red eyes._

_"Raito, don't let me die! Don't let me die!" L croaked out as a black, claw-like hand grasped his thin throat._

_"Ryuzaki!" Raito shouted at the top of his lungs, running towards the other two, "Please, hang on!"_

_"You shall let your little raven die?" The mysterious figure cackled, "How sad…"_

_"No, no, I won't! I won't!" Raito shouted at the man, but as he continued to run, he could not feel himself getting any closer._

_The once pale man was now turning blue due to the chocking, and the Yagami boy's eyes widen._

_"Ryuzaki!" He screamed again, causing the red-eyed menace to laugh._

_"Your little raven is mine now, boy…mine…"_

_Raito could see the detective's eyes begin to close, and with another shout, he-_

_"Ryuzaki!"_

Raito sat up in bed, gasping for air to enter his lungs at the nightmare…..

He had never dreamed about L before; what had that nightmare been about! And….

_What was up with the words…? "Your little raven"? If it means, "My little victim", then yes, L is that…but…mine? L is not mine…_

The college student felt his cheeks heat up at that thought, but he brushed the feeling aside.

_L…even when he's not here, he's haunting me…well, I'm sure it shall not last long. This dream I guess was somewhat expected; I mean, I did hear about his kidnapping today…so that thought was just in my mind; it was nothing more, nothing less…_

With that, Raito turned over to fall back into slumber….

The poor boy, though…

For he didn't realize there were more nightmares to come…..

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remeber guys, reviews, kudos and more let me know youre enjoying this story so please let me know.
> 
> See you soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Animals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a weekend i had. 
> 
> But, here i am with a new chapter.
> 
> Enjoy guys....

_What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name_   
_would smell as sweet…"_

_Romeo & Juliet, Act II, Scene II_

* * *

 

He really had never thought, in all his years, that waking up to the sunrise would be this difficult; nor did the man ever believe he would rue the rising sun, and wish for it be lower just a little bit longer.

But spread out on that rusty bed frame and that dirty mattress, L Lawliet wished he didn't have to face the coming day, the coming torture.

He kept his ebony orbs closed, the sun too bright for his worn, troubled eyes. The raven's breathing was stable, more stable than it had been in hours, if not the entire day.

L could finally move his legs, but was still incapacitated due to the chains around his ankles connecting him to the bed frame. But why should he bother moving? He had little strength left, and even if he wasn't chained, where would he go? Most likely, B was near by and would capture him and…violate him again to unearthly measures.

Violated…He had been violated by his own successor from long ago….

The thought made the raven wince, both externally and internally, even more so when he recalled the words he had spoken to his captor last night; the words of an apology…one that had been years in the making.

L never apologized, never. It was just unheard of, not thought of even in the wildest dreams of all who knew him, closely and not. The World's Greatest Detective was never wrong, and had never been wrong in the past.

…Except when it came to A and B.

He knew he had made mistakes with them; L had pushed them too hard, treated them like nothing…like worthless robots that were born, bred and designed to take over for him.

This was far from the case; that wasn't what they were, what they had been, at all.

They were human; and even though L sometimes thought of himself more as a machine than man, he knew those children had been pure blood mortal humans. And the way he had treated them….

He groaned when A appeared in his mind. Even though he had only met A twice, he met him again after their first encounter, L had been watching the child prodigy, the bubbly blonde boy with the cerulean eyes. A had great potential, amazing intelligence, and the luck, skills, and ideals that made him a perfect successor.

Until L had to ruin it all with his selfish attitude…..

God damn him and his attitudes and outlooks…If there even was a God to look down upon the raven with scorn.

And then there was B…..Beyond Birthday.

L knew that if that day he had said Beyond, or even just B, Beyond wouldn't hate him.

But, NO. NO, NO, NO!

He just HAD to say BACKUP.

Like B was only his backup if A failed; it had never been that.

Or at least….L did not want it to be that. But, in essence, it had turned out like that, had it not?

The whole situation had flown to Hell on the wings of the Devil's birds; the demons had taken the situation to a whole new level.

"….This is bad…." L whispered to himself. "I…I….."

The man had little strength, willpower, and heart left; B had shattered it all, but who could blame him? If the roles were switched, the raven hypothesized he would be acting just like B…..

And L remembered his words from the previous night; he truly had meant that apology. One of the only, and probably the biggest, regret that he had had was the treatment he had given his first two successors.

B….He hadn't deserved that, all of that. And L knew it.

But, many could think that the detective was just saying this because of the torture, correct?

Well…..that was not true.

L had always wanted to apologize, deep down in his soul he had; but the detective would be damned if he ever told another being that. It just wasn't expected of L Lawliet to apologize, let alone make mistakes that could cause a man to…

Go insane? Die? Both?

Yes, both.

A was dead, and B was most likely suffering from mental traits such as obsession, OCD, some forms of insanity and had obtained the mental capacity of a serial murderer.

Great…Just wonderfully great...

The raven knew, most likely, he would not be leaving this place alive, or at least not in the best physical and mental condition. L knew that Beyond loved "playing" with his victims, torturing them sweetly, making them beg for never-ending mercy that would never come to light. And then….

He would strike a deathly blow.

Lawliet felt himself visibly shiver, and once he felt he finally had the strength to, he completely opened his eyes and tried to sit up, groaning at the pain that coursed through his pasty body.

It was then that he noticed the black garment lying haphazardly upon his whipped chest, whose scars were finally beginning to coat over a little from the torture of the previous midnight hellhole.

"B….." The bony hands lightly grasped the shirt, holding it close to the cold, broken body and soul, "What am I going to do with you…?" L quietly whispered, and hugged the bloody shirt to himself. He could only hypothesize that the other had tried to wipe up his wounds once he had fallen unconscious.

But…for what purpose would B do this act? Why?

"Why indeed…?"

The hatred in B's eyes had clearly shown the other night, the anger and rage bubbling and boiling so clearly, you would have to be stupid not to notice it.

But…was this part of his toying mentality? Keep L alive as long as possible, and then kill him? Or...

Was this actually real compassion? Could it possibly be that? Was there a chance…..?

The raven laid back down on the bed, still holding B's shirt, and winced as his back hit the springy, dirty mattress. The pain was almost all too unbearable, but L had to keep reminding himself that he had experienced worse, had he not?

Well…he figured he had, but now, with being whipped, chained, humiliated, broken, and…raped, L had to be honest with himself and know that this, right here, was the absolute worst pain he had experienced in his twenty-four years of living.

Because it had broken his heart, body, and soul…..unlike every other pain he had felt and taken.

With a resigned sigh, the pallid man closed his eyes, trying to remain calm and keep an even breath.

Another thought came to L's mind; he would most likely have multiple scars on his chest due to last night, and wished a mirror was nearby so he could see, or at least wished he could feel his skin, for his feathery touch would be able to discern skin from scars.

But alas, neither was to happen, due to L's chains and no reflective surfaces to show him the truth; all he could do was guess.

_Scars…more…? Did I need more…?_

The raven was barely able to move his left arm, but had enough strength and room to, and placed his dexterous fingers on the left shoulder blade, near an old scar he had obtained years ago.

_"Momma…Papa…No…" A fire roared in the cold English city…_

_"Well…hello there, Little Lawli…Did you miss me…?" A cold voice L knew so well, the voice of a traitor._

_"You! Stop it! Just…Just leave me alone!"…Tiny ebony orbs shed a fountain of tears…_

_And the raven's blood had flown freely…_

_"…They're dead, Lawliet…And that man is gone forever, I promise." An older gentleman's voice had calmly stated to the little boy and led him inside his new home…_

**_Wammy's house…_ **

L snapped out of his reverie, his pitiful daydream with a cringe, and removed his hand away from the scar. He had promised himself long ago that he would never let any mortal being see that scar, nor hear his story.

That was his book; his and his alone. Only Watari knew, but he was the one exception. No matter how many times the children of Wammy's or anyone else ever pressed him about his past; he ended the conversation with a cold,

"That is none of your concern. My parents are dead, I am here, and that is it."

Another sigh….L realized he had not sighed this much in a very long time; longer than he could even remember.

The raven turned onto his right side, grimacing again at how broken he had become; L found it quite pitiful, but there was nothing he could do now.

His will had been broken; his Great Wall of a will, of a heart and strong soul and spirit had vanished in one swift motion; possibly never to return to their master…..

All thanks to Beyond Birthday…..

The cold drafty hallway hit B's senses first and instinct went into overdrive, his body beginning to shiver as his blood-eyes opened to the dawn's light.

Remembering he had curled up into himself after fighting with his own conscience, Beyond shivered, both at being half bare and cold, and last night had scared his inner psyche.

_I can't back down now…Lawli needs to be punished…You shall show no mercy to him; never in a million years shall you show that man mercy…_

The copy repeated his mantra, his oath, his promise again and again, hoping that any doubts that had begun to bloom in his subconscious, for some foreign reason.

However they had appeared there, they needed to die, just like everything else.

Standing quickly, the younger man of the two wandered into the room he had chosen for himself, smaller than the one L resided in, and quickly opened a box and grabbed another black shirt, slipping it on his pale body that was all to similar to his idol and hostage.

Unfortunately, once B had slipped that on, he finally noticed the mirror in front of him; he really wished he hadn't, for he despised mirrors, and had wanted to take it out of the room, but he had become all too…."distracted" by little Lawliet in the other room.

The man walked closer to the glass surface, running a cold hand down the reflective glass and the copy that stared back at him.

Through B's ruby eyes, his vision red as the blood which he sought was his hated reflection and his name, floating there like a buoy in the sea.

**_Beyond Birthday…_ **

But no numbers; he could never see his own lifespan, most likely as an effect of the Shinigami Eyes….

Perhaps it was for the greater good, for who wants to know their own death time?

Besides….

B was much happier watching other people's lives tick away, second by second, day by day, until….

The church bells rang as they were lowered into the ground.

The bony hand moving down the mirror stopped, and B stared into himself, the red reflected eyes looking right back into the real ones.

Beyond could feel frustration building up in his body; all of the events of the past hours and day were catching up to him, and his hatred of reflections brought it to ahead.

In a flash, B curled his hand into a fist, slamming it into the glass, shattering it into a million little pieces, which fell to the ground like crystal rain.

The act left a bloody hand for Beyond and the copy just stared as drops of blood fell from his pallid skin onto the dirty floor, and some spots rained down upon his clothes like the tears of fallen angels, sobbing that their God had fallen…..

The murderer just continued to stare at his appendages and the palm of his left hand, and after a moment, brought the hand to his lips, and began to gently lick and kiss his wound, tasting the metallic life substance, vital to all, cherished by few.

Except for Beyond; B cherished all blood, including his own.

And he only ravished after one person's blood: L Lawliet.

A snicker settled upon the young man's lips as L entered his mind again, for the millionth time in the past years. That man was never leaving his brain; it was if he had settled permanent residence there upon B's soul and mind.

The blood continued to rain down from the bleeding hand, but Beyond didn't care. A bloody hand was nothing to him; he was past the point of feeling pain.

So he places his lips to the hand one last time, pressing firmly this time, hoping to coat his mouth with as much of the life substance as possible.

B pulled back finally, and smirked down at the shattered mirror, which still showed his reflection even in the shattered, miniscule pieces. His lips were a bright ruby red, matching his eyes perfectly.

The killer shivered with excitement, trying to contain the deep cackle that was beginning to echo from within his body and throat; his mouth in a snicker so deep, it would scare all those who would see it.

Beyond could not hold in it any more, and let out his deathly laugh, loud and proud, echoing throughout the entire warehouse.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHA! LAAAWWLIII! KYAHAHAHAHA!"

The copy continued his laugh for some minutes until finally he took a panting breath, a few giggles emitting from his bloody lips, his bony shoulders still shaking a little from the hysteria and ecstasy that was coursing through B's veins; the young man gave a small glance to the clock on his right as his high was beginning to dissipate.

"Mmm….it's seven AM. It's Little Lawli's feeding time." Beyond whispered to himself, and hurried over to the little refrigerator he had stolen from a nearby store.

It was his pet's feeding time….

* * *

 

L's ebony-gray orbs had widened when the echo of Beyond's laugh had reached his ears a few moments before; his hands grasped the other's shirt tighter, for no reason other than to hold something somewhat soft and fairly comforting…..even if it was Beyond's.

_Something is coming…I can sense it…I really can…_

Lawliet felt his heart-rate speed up, and his body began to shiver in primordial fear of some unholy horror; a horror that even he couldn't comprehend.

Was this it? That laugh….and the cry of his name…..did it mean….?

Did it mean this was L Lawliet's last moment…?

The raven had never been afraid of death before, it was just a simple fact to him, like birth, life, and living.

You are born, you live, and then you die. Plain and simple, clear as day, yes?

But now….now that Beyond had broken down his walls, had tortured his soul, mind and body…..

L knew he was not ready to die….L knew he was not ready to die! There was so much left to accomplish! He had the Kira case, the job of picking a successor, and possibly…even be happy! For once in his damned, cursed life, maybe L Lawliet could work to find happiness; just maybe he could! The raven knew that was important now, he had never seen it before, but really, now it was as clear as day…

But...

What choice did he have if this was the moment? The detective had no strength left, and his entire strong will was gone.

L let out a resigned sigh, knowing that whatever B's next move was to be, he could not fight it for many a reason; one, his survival could possibly depend on it, for he was not ready to give up living even if it was foolish to hang onto that will, and two…L just knew he could never fight was to come, not now. Not after all that had happen. Not after being broken…

Again…

He had barely been put back together last time after….that. And now, here he was again, a shattered mess.

And most likely, L would not be able to be put together this time…

No matter how strong the metaphoric glue.

And B knew this…Beyond could read him as clear as day; well…he mostly could.

And that is why Lawliet knew B planned to milk this opportunity to its fullest; take complete control and domination over L's body and spirit.

That is why the detective curled up more into himself, his arms still hanging tightly from those wretched chains; the older man promised himself he would not shed a tear, but it was so hard not to….

So this is what it felt like to be the victim of a man who would most likely cause his ultimate demise.

The raven only exited his fear when a small grumble in his stomach sounded out.

_…Yes…I have not eaten in hours…nor drank any liquids…Does he plan to starve me?_

A slow and painful death due to starvation sounded far from Beyond's style, but it was still possible. Scarily, it was still possible.

It was then the north door creaked open, and Beyond stood menacingly in the doorway, a smirk upon his red-stained lips; once L had risen up somewhat to look the other straight in the eyes, he gasped at the ruby-red mouth, and remembered hearing something shatter moments ago. The midnight orbs then wandered to the copy's left hand, from which blood flowed like a river.

"….B-Beyond…..what…?" L managed to choke out, fear and weakness strangling his once strong voice.

"Shh….Lawli should save his strength. We still have much to do, Little Lawli." B whispered as he came closer to the other pallid man, and bent down low, his lips near L's forehead.

_"Little Lawli…why don't you come play with me?" A dark chuckle came from the man standing over the child._

_"NO! Leave me alone!"_

The suppressed memory came floating back up to the surface, and L involuntarily shivered; but Beyond's proximity did not help the detective's fears either.

"….You shiver, L. Do I scare you that much?" B whispered, his ruby gems a hurricane of emotions, and L had neither the strength nor determination to decipher each one.

"…It's just-"

But B cut him off when those bloody lips gently kissed L's pallid and bruised forehead, the man's bony hands gently holding the detective's dark-as-night locks.

The lips felt warm against the cold, drafty skin of Lawliet and he audibly let out a small gasp at the action and the feeling of the warm lips upon his own being.

Beyond removed his mouth from L's body a moment later, and smirked when some blood remained upon L's skin.

"Is my Lawli hungry? Well….just wait here. I shall return to you…" B whispered and headed back to the entrance from which he had come, and L could hear him rustling around in the other room, or hall…or whatever that was.

But the detective's orbs continued to be widened in shock and were only somewhat focused on the ceiling and the Wara Ningyo above him; he was still reeling from B's display of "affection", if it could be called that.

B's soft footsteps sounded out again, and L slowly lifted his head up to eye the younger man, and his jaw dropped.

"Oh….Oh God…No."

"Oh, yes, Lawli. I did you say you were my little pet, did I not?" Beyond let out a little chuckle as he swung the dog collar with an attached leash on it around twice. "And isn't this a nice one….I bought it just for you, for us."

The long chain of a leash was just that, a long silver chain that stretched a few feet out onto the warehouse's dirty metal ground; connect to a somewhat small collar edged with multiple tiny, pointed spikes, similar to a bull dog's collar seen commonly in America.

"Beyond….is…this necessary?" The ebony-locked man's eyes were shining with fear and trepidation again, even more so when B walked closer and nodded his head.

"Of course it is; I said you are my pet. Remember my words, L. You should…if your memory becomes poor, it could cost you your life, you know…."

In a quick motion, before L had even time to react, Beyond had snapped the collar upon his lithe neck tightly, leaving little room for the passage of air or words. The detective grimaced at the new intrusion into his personal space.

"You'll get used to it Lawliet." B snapped somewhat coldly, annoyed in some ways at L's struggling, but relishing in it in other ways.

A silver key appeared from the copy's jeans and swiftly, he undid the cuffs connected to L's wrist, but the moment they were freed, Beyond's own hands clamped firmly down upon the temporarily freed wrists of the other.

"I don't expect you to put up a fight, L," B hissed savagely, going over and grabbing the older being's face, bringing it inches from his own, "You do not have the strength or the will to do so; You should also know that making any move, deadly or otherwise upon my being, or even attempting to do so, could affect when, how and if I kill you, understood? I'm only leaving the handcuffs off because even dogs need free range to walk."

L didn't respond he only just stared into those eyes murderously shining above his own; eyes from which the raven could see his own death taking place, frightening him to far distant means.

The detective just continued to stare at nothingness above him, and heard the quiet jingles of the cuffs connected to his ankles being undone.

The man was only awoken out of his self-induced trance when Beyond gave a harsh tug upon the collar's chain, and L's body slammed into the ground with a thud and a groan.

"Now, now Lawli….get up. Immediately." Another sharp pull of the chain and after a few footsteps from Beyond's bare feet, L found himself on all fours, staring fearfully into B's eyes.

"My little pretty pet…" Beyond cast an eerie smile to his hostage, and a pale hand reached out and combed through L's wild hair; the hand then trailing down and lightly, then roughly griping the detective's chin , "So pretty…but…with a little beauty, a little pain must fall."

B tugged on the chain again, and L gasped as the collar closed around his throat, his eyes widening like saucers at the pain.

"Come L." The serial murderer barked the order, tugging at the chain again, which in itself was an order, "And don't think you'll be walking on two feet either…."

With a resigned sigh, L knew what that meant; as if he wasn't already humiliated enough.

With his soul crying out for redemption, but was going unheard, L began to crawl on all fours, following behind his "master". Keeping his eyes glued to the ground, he continued to walk like an abused animal, following orders without hesitation.

"…What a good boy, listening to the master around here. You make me proud, Lawli." Beyond whispered with a dark chuckle, and once both men were only a few feet away from the door, the killer roughly tugged the chain connected to his hostage and began tying it up around a small metal pole planted firmly into the ground.

"Now be a good boy and wait here." B said sweetly, quickly running out the door, leaving a distressed L to tug on the too-tight collar, the device not budging a centimeter.

"Damn…." The detective hung his head silently, trying to calm his now erratic breathing, and mentally meditated, hoping no aura of fear was washing out from him like a storm.

"Lawli! BB's got you your breakfast!" The copy chirped as he entered the room again, holding a blue dog bowl in his hand, and the detective could see a piece of strawberry cheesecake seated in it; a dollop of whip-cream settled on top, with a tiny strawberry perched on that.

The raven felt his mouth begin to water at the sight of the delectable pastry; he had believed Beyond would be barely feeding him anything, let alone one of his favorite foods.

B set the bowl gently down on the ground, about a foot from the stationary L, then went back out, coming back moments later with another bowl, this one red, and setting that one next to the blue bowl ; this one filled with….coffee?

Yes, it was coffee, and from what the detective could tell, sugar, be they cubes or crystals had been put into the dark drink.

With a small smirk, Beyond untied his hostage, and took a step back.

"Eat up Lawliet…." A devilish chuckle came from the pale lips, which were now a dull red due to the blood from earlier.

If L had not been a man with prideful disposition, he most likely would have lunged at the cake and drink like a wild animal; but not being that kind of person, he quietly crawled on all fours to the bowls, and was about to lift a hand to the cake, when-

B's hand smacked his own away from the dish.

"Animals don't use their hands Lawli…."

"B...But-"

**SLAP** , right across L's bruised cheek….

"Animals also do not talk back to their masters, Lawliet." B icily ordered, glaring at L, who could feel himself shrink at the gaze.

With another sigh, the captive bent his head down, but gave one last mournful gaze at Beyond.

"….Eat UP, L; unless….the animal is ungrateful, and wants to shun his master's generosity." B raised his hand to show that he would slap L again if the raven continued to disobey his orders.

The raven knew the agony showed on his face, it was just too certain; but he still lowered his head to the blue bowl, placing his teeth to the slice of cake, and began to slowly take bites and eat the food placed in front of him. L was relieved to find that the food was not poisoned or drugged, or at least, he could not taste any of the sorts.

B happily plopped down in front of his hostage, grabbing the chain, and holding it somewhat tightly. His ruby eyes were awash with pure enjoyment and ecstasy; seeing L become so low, fall so far, made him feel as if he had just won a jam factory on every single continent.

L continued to take small bites of the cake, his two hands spread out on either side of the bowl, his teeth sinking into the soft, somewhat cool pastry; his tongue relished in the feeling of a familiar food, his lips smacking against the cream, some of the white substance tickled the raven's cheeks, hooking onto the pallid, pasty skin.

…..Which caught B's eyes.

As L continued to eat, he suddenly felt a sharp tug on the chain that forced his head upwards, until he found himself staring into the blood-red eyes of his former successor.  
Beyond haughtily licked his lips, slowly, elegantly as well, hoping to get some form of reaction out of the other man, and he did so when L gasped softly, the detective's bony hands clawing into the metal surface underneath him.

The detective completely froze a second later when a wet muscle crawled across his cheek, licking up the frosting delectably, and lips began kissing the spots where the frosting used to reside. L found this to be a predicament; if he objected vocally, the older man would be slapped, if he did not, who knew how far B would take this? With no choice, L remained silent as the man gently ravished his face with his tongue, but the raven could not help the shivers that shot through his spine, and the heat pooling in his cheeks.

This was utter embarrassment…..nothing but sheer embarrassment! L was far from enjoying this attention; or that is what at least the man screamed in his head.

Enjoyment? Hah! Like L Lawliet would ever enjoy being face-liked by a man such as Beyond Birthday…right?

_Is that his purpose…; for me to fall into some form of infatuation for him, such as Stockholm's Syndrome…? No, impossible…Beyond wants me to suffer…but then why-_

"What a good boy, Lawli," B hotly whispered in L's ear, "Not resisting your master…your God…one little bit." The criminal licked the shell of L's ear, causing the older one to gasp again, becoming even more flushed.

_He's not resisting…and I don't believe it's just because you threatened him, Beyond…This is what you wanted, yes? Him to react to your touch, your mouth? Your AFFECTION?_

_FOOL! Stop this incessant affection! You're the God here, he's nothing! He's only acting like that due to being a damn recluse all his life, and he's embarrassed. Nothing more! Nothing!_

_B-But…look at him-_

His thoughts were at war again, putting Beyond into inner turmoil. Lifting his head, he gazed into the soot-colored eyes, feeling…?

"Lawliet…." Came the quiet whisper from B, whose hands gently clasped L's cheeks, still somewhat sticky from the frosting. All the murderer did was stare into L's eyes for a few moments, the other staring back just like his copy and replica.

"…" L said nothing, but blinked repeatedly, his mouth open somewhat in surprise, and slightly titled his head in confusion.

_God, that's beautiful, is it not? His eyes, his face…can it not all be yours, just like you dreamed it to be?_

_WHAT? I've never wanted that! PLEASE! And besides, it cannot be mine, for I have broken L Lawliet to pieces, have I not? He can never love me now, not that I would ever want him to!_

_How long will you keep this up? This…charade? This façade? How long will you deny it? How long can you deny it? Deny what you've felt all along, ever since that first day! You cannot do such a thing!_

_I DENY NOTHING! NOTHING, NOTHING, NOTHING!_

_NOTHING AT ALL! FOR THERE IS NOTHING TO DENY!_

Beyond finally snapped out of his reverie with those words, anger bubbling up within him. How dare L make him doubt himself! And….feel…feelings, such as those. Which, of course, Beyond really didn't feel, but Lawliet was close, pushing B to the edge, of feeling those feelings, was he not?

**SLAP** ….right across L's cheek, causing the detective to gasp.

"STOP. IT." Beyond ordered coldly, glaring at the pasty man.

"S-Stop what!" L inwardly cursed, for he knew he was not supposed to speak, which caused Beyond to slap him again.

"What did I say about speaking, L? And stop THAT!" The copy pointed directly at the detective's face, nearly causing the elder of the two to flinch.

"S-Stop what! I'm sorry, but stop wha-"

**SLAP**

**SLAP**

One on each cheek…..

"I SAID BE SILENT! AND STOP THAT NOW! THIS INSTANT!"

"What? Stop what?"

"Aw, L just shut up!", Beyond tugged roughly on the chain after standing up, and L's face when flying into the bowl of still somewhat hot coffee, and he let out a piercing screech, "Finish your damn cake and coffee!"

The raven lifted his face from the bowl of sweet liquid, feeling the skin on his face sting from the burns; thankfully, the coffee could've been much hotter, and caused terrible wounds. Thankfully, the situation was the opposite, and L hurried back to the cake bowl, devouring the remaining pieces with rapid speed; not a second after the cake was gone did the raven scurry on all fours to the coffee bowl, and began lapping at it with his tongue, gazing at B from time to time.

The copy had sat down in a huff about two, three feet from L, gazing at him with righteous fury; the gaze burning like Hellfire and seeping into Lawliet's stricken soul.

"That's enough. You've had your fill, am I right?" Beyond spat out, standing up, and went over to L's right side. "Well…..you can answer now, I shall not hit you….at the moment."

"…" L visibly shook, and stared into the other's eyes.

"WELL? ANSWER ME, L LAWLIET!" B tugged on the chain, pulling L even closer, and making the detective gasp for air, his eyes going wide at the excruciating tug.

"Y-Yes Beyond…..I-I'm fine…."

How….

Humiliating...utterly humiliating.

He was SUBMITTING himself to this man; pure submission, there was no doubt.

"Good boy, Little Lawli…..but…" B trailed off, a smirk dawning his face.

"….W-What?"

"….You spoke out against your master, L. You must be punished."

_Oh…Oh God…_

"B-Beyond….please…agh!" L let out a strangled gasp as B tugged him back towards the bed, and with strength, picked the raven up, flinging him back onto the bed, stomach on the mattress, back to B.

"Now, now…..This was a fun tool, was it not?" B jingled the collar and chain for emphasis, but unfortunately, it must be disposed of for now."

With two clicks, the collar and chain vanished from the lithe neck, and L let out a sigh of relief; but almost instantaneously, the cuffs that were attached to the bed found their homes upon L's wrists and ankles once more.

The detective went to an even whiter pale, and even more so when he felt two arms wrap around his waist near the button of his jeans.

"Little Lawli's been a bad boy…..he need to be punished." A soft purr of delight came from the wielder of the Eyes' throat, and a snap and a pull later, L found his baggy jeans around his chained ankles, and more trepidation washed over him.

The detective heard no noise for a moment; it was as if Beyond was contemplating his next move. All of a sudden, a tight squeeze came to be on L's posterior, and the older man actually yelped at the action, causing Beyond Birthday to chuckle, and then swiftly pull down the boxers as well.

"Now wait here, Lawli….." The jam-lover ran out the door swiftly, leaving a poor frightened L face down in a dirty mattress, his pale bare bottom nearly sticking up in the air.  
Not five minutes later did the detective hear Beyond's footsteps return, but no words were spoken by either man. L heard the other stop walking, and then clear his throat; what followed was…..

A painful, gut-wrenching smack across L's rear, causing him to release a violent, heart-breaking scream.

"BEYOND!"

"Scream my name again L! Scream it as I paddle your ass so hard, you shall never disobey me again!"

Another three whacks of the paddle to L's rear, and another three piercing screams filled the grungy air of the warehouse.

"B-Beyond…." L wailed out as the paddling continued, tears beginning to stream down the raven's pale, thin cheeks and face, the bony hands of the man clawing at the mattress, as if he was trying to reach for some sanctuary.

"All hope is lost on you, Lawliet….no one shall save you. No one shall care for you; no one shall love you…" The copy mocked the elder one, each time ending a statement with a hard smack with the paddle, "Now. Say. You. Agree. With. Me!" Again, after each word, a hard, ear-splitting smack.

"I…..I…."

"DAMMIT L, SAY IT!" Beyond bellowed, throwing caution into the wind and stepping up the paddling, hitting harder, faster, and with no mercy whatsoever.

"….I….I agree!" L was sobbing by this point, his entire, skinny body shaking, shivering, and sweating with anxiety.

"You agree with WHAT, L!" Another four smack, another three screams, the last one especially long, and not giving L enough time to unleash another.

"I…I agree that….that I shall…b-be uncared for! Unloved! And I…I shall not be saved!" The raven cried out in despair, and once the words had immediately left Lawliet's mouth, the paddling stopped.

"Good boy, L….I think you've learned your lesson. For now, anyway." A light chuckle, and Beyond tossed the paddle aside, the wooden object hitting the ground with a thud.

"…" L was sobbing too much to even choke out a half-hearted reply; just as he was about to try turn over onto his stomach, the raven felt Beyond actually get on top of his body, his legs going on either side of L's butt.

"Mmm…." A pale, somewhat bloody hand caresses L's back smoothly, then it roamed to squeeze L's posterior again, "What a nice…..ass indeed. It's so much fun whipping and smacking it hard, Lawli."

"P-Please…..g-get off. I really mean it…." L whispered softly, pleadingly, hoping B would for once comply with him.

"…..No. I am sorry, but that shall not be happening, L. But I will stand up for the moment." B stated coldly, and instantly had removed himself from the other….  
To only unbutton and unzip his jeans….to the dismay of L's ears.

"No….Please no…."

"Oh, yes, L…It's time for some MORE fun….Kyahaha….." The boxers came next and L actually whined in despair, knowing what was to come next.

And it did…..for the raven had predicted sheer torture in the form of rape…..

Which he so regrettably received…..

A pure hour of horrid screams, flowing blood from L's entrance, Beyond's hands clawing at the detective's back, and a Devil's laugh pierced the warehouse.

But again, L's screams went unheard by all those he wished could hear them…..

* * *

 

**Miles Away: Kanto Region, Task Force Headquarters:**

He couldn't concentrate….he just couldn't.

Raito stared at the old documents, pondering, wondering…

About L…

AGAIN.

Dammit, the man was GONE, and it was as if the raven was still here in the very same room!

"….Damn you, L….." Raito whispered to himself.

_Raito-kun is thinking of me…_ A voice all too similar to L's mocked, _Does he miss me?_

"Like Hell I do!" The brunette continued to whisper to himself again, or more along the lines of that "L-voice".

_Does that make Raito-kun Kira?...That is heart-breaking, Raito-kun…_ The voice said next, in a taunting tone.

"Just leave me alone!" The younger one returned, picking up a chart about the criminals times of death, and began to "observe" it.

_Raito-kun is the one thinking about me, dreaming about me…_ Raito could nearly SEE the smile on the face of the man mocking him in his head.

"Shouldn't you be dead!" A haughty whisper from the younger one whom was finally getting weird looks from the other detectives.

_No…because I have a feeling Raito-kun will eventually come to his senses and realize he truly indeed cares for me, yes?_

The Yagami boy growled to himself, beginning to shake with anger.

_Raito-kun…will you not save your raven maiden? Though, I hate to be considered a MAIDEN, but you have thought of me as that, yes? Submissive, under you, open and-_

"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD! I FEEL NOTHING OF THE SORT FOR YOU!"

To say the least, Raito got many an insane look from Matsuda, Aizawa, Mogi, and his father, along with a stern talk from his father about "Inside Voice" and "Emotional Issues with People", all of which Raito quietly listened too, insisting he was perfectly fine….

Yeah, right…..like he was REALLY fine…..

* * *

 

**Thousands of Miles away, Winchester, England; Wammy's House**

"…No news, yet, Watari. Nothing at all?" Roger said from the other side of the door, Mihael Keehl's small ear pressed to the wooden door.

"…." A sigh from Roger the care-taker made Mello worry; something had happened, he knew it. An eerie aura of gloom had settled over the House, and the blonde was quite worried. He didn't care if he'd get in trouble for snooping; he just had to know what was wrong.

"Watari, you must find L…..I know whom we are dealing with, but-…." Another sigh, "Please, Watari…you must find L's kidnapper."

_Kidnapper…?_

"…Mihael, what are you doing?" It was Near, Nate River, once again, spoiling Mello's plans and operations.

"Shut it, Near, just listen." Mello roughly pulled the white-haired child to the door, ordering him to listen with a glare; though Nate was hesitant at first, he pressed an ear to the door.

"Look…..we know who took L, now….I know. If we go after Beyond, the children here might be at risk. But….Alright, look just call me back when something comes up. Thank you Watari. Good day, and please try not to worry; L is a strong man…he'll come out of this alive."

The elder hung up the phone, and Mihael glance at his companion, to see wide, black eyes.

"Mello, what-"

The older child cut the other off as he tugged him swiftly down the hall.

"Near…we've got some work to do. It looks like L's in trouble."

….. It was time for the kids to take action, and do whatever they could to find L…..

And to make sure the next time they saw him, it was a cheerful day….

And not one spent in the morgue…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews and kudos are greatly appreciated, dont be ghosts please....


	5. Chapter 5: Master

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Chapter guys.
> 
> So before you read this one i have to ask... 
> 
> Are you enjoying the story?
> 
> Because i feel like they are a few who are reading but because they dont comment i dont know if they are liking it or not so... please let me know
> 
> Now, enjoy the new chapter.

_"I like not fair terms and a villain's mind"_

_\- The Merchant of Venice, (Act I, Scene III)_

* * *

 L…was one to ignore many a thing; it was just his personality.

He ignored the darkness that had surrounded the room in that filthy warehouse, estimating it was around late in the morning, perhaps three, four AM. Beyond had finished with him around one AM, the copy stating the time, zipping up his pants, smirking, and even wiping up some of the raven's blood with a towel….

Only to lick that towel devilishly in front of the murderer's victim, shaking in evil pleasure, his lips being stained red with the metallic substance.

"Nighty night, Lawli-pop…." He had whispered softly into the shaking raven's ear, and had then had fully kisses the older man upon his pale lips, staining them blood-red.

A bloody kiss…..B's signature marking…

The twin sister of the kiss of death…

Now, hours later, L just was laying there, on that bed, eyes half-lidded in pain.

Pain…L was ignoring the pain coursing through his veins as that very moment; for the entire past few hours, he had been ignoring it.

…More like failing to ignore it.

L had once been a strong man, but how far he had fallen….it was too sad. And now, he knew, even though how hard he tried, he could never ignore this undying pain in his body and spirit.

So he just stared….stared at his chained, fisted hand that was resting near his face, his eyes now and then drifting to the far, rusted wall, or to the hanging Wara Ningyo above him. There was nothing else to do now but stare. Why think when you are broken; why look at life if you become dead on the inside?

…This whole scene…It was just…

All too similar to before…

_"Lawliet, I shall be taking you in." It was a caretaker that the Lawliet's had known for years, a man that they had total faith if it ever came down to it that someone needed to take care of their son._

Actually, the Lawliets had had contact with Watari, a.k.a Quillish Wammy, before as well, for he had had quite an interest in their son and his high intellect; unfortunately, they had not want to burden him with taking in their son in case of an emergency, for he ran enough of a large orphanage already.

What they hadn't planned on was two things:

One, Watari had feared that men had been after the Lawliets, for their fortune and of course, for L. Many did not know of the son, but those that HAD heard were predatory towards him, wanting him, many of which wanted him for ransom, torture, or even sickly desires. Mr. Wammy had tried to warn them to stay away from many a regular man, and they had, and they followed those orders…mostly.

It was too bad that they hadn't paid more attention to the man whom would come to take care of L…

…For they would've seen that man planning their downfall, organizing for the fire that would kill them and destroy L Lawliet's life…

But they did no such thing, for they had become too trusting…

Thankfully, Watari had not been too trusting, but when it came time to save L, it had been too late; the other man had gotten there first…

Perhaps that was why L had never trusted anyone after Watari took him in…

The second thing was that this man, whom they had know for so long would betray them…

By destroying their only son's innocence…

_"YOU LIKE THIS LITTLE LAWLI? DON'T YOU?" The man bellowed as he roughly tortured the boy with rape, with the child crying, begging for him to stop._

_"GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE! MOMMA!" It was useless to call for his mother, the caretaker had made sure of that..._

Like that fire was just an "accident"; the police suspected arson, but failed to delve further…oh, only if they had.

The man, whom shall remain nameless, continued on…torturing Little Lawli for three days…

Until Watari came to his rescue…The elder had never trusted that man, and even after L had gone into his care, his suspicion still remained.

Watari had told L to talk to him once he got settled in, and when the raven child refused to do so, Mr. Wammy just had a gut feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.

So it was no surprise to say as a shocked L sat crying on a dirty old bed in the basement, and was immediately surround by policemen when they barged through the door, he felt relieved and scared at the same time.

Only when Watari had come running down the steps a few moments later, embracing the four-year old genius, comforting him, and picking him up as the caretaker was arrested and placed into the back of a police car.

…

_"Welcome home, L Lawliet." Quillish Wammy stood outside in the snow with the child, whose dark orbs stared at the mansion._

_"…W-Watari…so…so now, I'm-"_

_"Yes…you are to become the World's Greatest Detective. I know it is to happen."_

_"But…what about…?" L shivered, still scared from his torture._

_"…We have time, Lawliet. You shall heal in time. I and the other nurses will help you, my son."_

_"Son…Okay, I…I want this._

He did want it. Lawliet had had a strong sense of justice in his blood ever since he could remember; his intellect, his strong will…all could help him achieve what he wanted.

But he had been broken…he made sure Watari knew that, and the old man did.

Years passed, L's intellect grew to immense proportions, but…

He had become a cold child, very inexpressive, with little emotion showing.

But…who could blame L?

"Murdered" parents…taken away by their own feelings of trust; betrayed like Caesar with Brutus.

Sexually assaulted for three days, along with abuse and terrible words…

No wonder L seemed cut off from the rest of the world…

When his personality changed very little, Watari realized he could do nothing about it, for he was no miracle worker; all he could do was watch as Lawliet's insomnia increased even further, his oral fixation become greater, his habits become more quirky and odd, and his eating habits become even more unconventional.

He accepted the younger man like his own son, his perfect prodigy.

L Lawliet became "L" at thirteen…and soon became the number-one detective, and would eventually take the names "Coil" and "Denuve" as well.

Though L solved these for cases, he would never lie and say that he just did it for that…

They young man became bored easily, and these cases entertained him to great ends…

Was that so wrong?

…Was it…

Sinful?

"…Sinful…" Lawliet whispered to himself, closing his eyes in thought.

He could not believe that those memories were still haunting him; was it wrong to try to forget the past? Was that sinful? Was it sinful to block out memories from the past?

And…

Was it so wrong to get enjoyment out of his line of work? Even if lives were at stake?

The raven sighed, and curled up even more into himself, but he would not sleep, not here, not now, and possibly not ever after this experience.

Truth be told…L was afraid to sleep now…Usually he wasn't, he just never felt the need, but now…

Sleep was just a calling card for death to visit him…

* * *

 

**Miles away, Kanto Region, Yagami Household…4:15 AM, Raito-kun's room…..**

_Just…Just close your eyes, and sleep, you idiot…it's not that hard, is it?_

Raito was mentally chastising himself, for the infinite time that night; slumber was just not reaching that man.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw one person, and only one person, and even heard that man's voice.

" _Raito-kun!_ " A toothy grin from L, actually smiling at him, his soot-colored orbs alight with mischief.

"UGH!" Raito flashed open his eyes, and buried his head under the pillow, whispering, "Leave me alone, L!"

" _Raito is the one who is thinking about me…_ " The detective gave a chuckle, " _I'm sure he could easily stop if he put his heart into it, yes?_ "

…That bastard in my head has a point…why don't I stop thinking about him? I can do it, can't I? I'm a God…I'm Kira. I can do it…I…I wonder if he's dead…that kidnapper might've-WHAT THE HELL! I'm thinking about him...I cannot even go five seconds without him coming into my thoughts…! WHY?

Raito sighed, his sepia eyes going to the ceiling, staring at the white-washed surface.

"…I cannot be bothered with you, L. If you knew who I was, you'd understand that…" He whispered to the eerie silence around him; the eeriness coming from the awkward feeling in his….heart?

" _Of course I know you're Kira, Raito-kun. I suspect you, of course…_ " The L in Raito's head called out, " _But I know something else…You are in love with me_."

The brunette shot up immediately, eyes wide, mouth agape.

"N-No…No, I AM NOT!" He whispered heatedly out loud to the man in his head.

" _Raito is a poor liar…It is down-right depressing…_ " L gave a soft sigh, and Raito could literally see the man shake that pale head in his own mind, " _You should be honest with yourself, Raito…do you like it when I just call you "Raito"_?"

"…" The young "God" felt his face heat up as the voice in his head dropped the traditional honorific from his culture.

Surely he had no subconscious intention of wanting that eccentric human calling his name intimately? No, that was stupid…

Right?

Raito picked up his pillow, screaming softly into it; dammit, he was losing his cool! Kira could not lose his cool, not now! Not when everything was so close!

…But at this rate, it seemed that the brunette would not be getting a good night's sleep for a long time; thankfully, thinking ahead after that incident where he shouted out loud at the headquarters, he had secretly met with Misa, commanding her to continue Kira's killings for him, for he needed a rest; this way it would look like Kira was still alive, even though the real Kira was stressing out and was, in some ways, being haunted by the "ghost" of his enemy.

L…it unfathomed Raito as to how this man could haunt him…

_And most likely he wasn't even dead…_

It looked like the God of the New World would not be sleeping peacefully for awhile…not if…

" _Raito, would you prefer that I be naked when you rescue me, or would you like me clothed? Oh, maybe a dress…I know of your sick perversions, Rai-_ "

Not if that man had anything to do with it…

* * *

 

**Next Morning, 8:05 AM, B's Warehouse…**

He could see it in his ruby orbs:

God's grace was shining down upon him; yes, finally someone out there was looking favorably upon Beyond Birthday.

That glistening sunrise that had taken place mere moments before…ah, was it breathtaking. The copy had eaten his jam on the roof that morning, gazing at God's rightful judgment shining in glorious colors, full of warm shades and temperatures.

Now, just seconds ago, he'd leapt off the roof, landing firmly and elegantly on the small balcony jutting out from the building and had proceeded inside the large building, thinking about what to do with his new pet today…

"Tsk Tsk…The Almighty has given me too many options, Lawli," He whispered diabolically to himself as he padded down the hallway in his bare feet, a rusty railing weathering to his right, "So what shall I choose?"

The younger one hummed to himself in deep thought, a soft purr echoing from his vocal chords, sounding out a pleasured-filled silken call. B's calm footsteps wove a path to his room, and immediately we went to one of many taped-up cardboard boxes that he had brought along to this place; making secret, sneaky, weakly trips, in the dead of night, hiding from the eye of civilization.

"…Perfect." The killer cackled softly, holding up his found prize, his pure-white, pointed teeth glistening in the streaming sunlight coming from the tiny barred window in the right corner.

"Oh, LAWWWWLIIIII…Your Master needs your help…KYAHAHAHAH!"

B took a deep breath, calming that insane laugh of his, a laugh that sprouted fear into the hearts and souls of all its listeners.

L being the biggest, most important listener of them all…

The man grabbed what he needed, and rushed from the room, snickering, no, softly giggling a greedy giggle, the cogs in his brain already tweaking and working expertly.

Silently as he could be, B creaked open the north door to L's holding "cell". The older man was still laying there, almost as if he was a pale, broken corpse…

Hehe…was that not what L was? A broken dead version of himself…?

…If Beyond had anything to say about it, then that answer would be a complete and one-hundred percent…YES.

"Good morning, Lawli…did you get any sleep last night?" The killer chirped happily, a giddy smile replacing his normally jagged and cruel one.

"…" L was silent, still staring straight at the wall, his pasty body still as a stack of wooden boards.

Beyond pouted at hearing no response, and somewhat roughly grabbed L's hair, tugging it enough so the killer could whisper hotly and sternly in Lawliet's ear.

"You should know by now that you shall answer my questions from now on, dear Lawli. Now…" The younger one tugged L more violently, forcing him to sit up, "It's time for some good o' fun Lawli-pop. Hehe…"

In a flash, the handcuffs had come off, momentarily stunning L as B flipped him over onto his back, shoving the item he was holding into the detective's bony hands.

"Undress. NOW. Right here." Beyond ordered as L gaped at the dress in his possession…

A maid's dress…a skimpy outfit that L hypothesized would barely reach his thighs.

"Oh, that's right Lawli…you will need to wear these too," The jam-lover reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of black, laced panties that he had taken from the house of Backyard Bottomslash, his last victim in the Los Angeles Murders; he lazily tossed them to the wide-eyed L, whom finally blinked after what seemed an eternity.

"…Beyond-"

"SILENCE….you know what you must say now, yes…?" B growled at Lawliet, his ruby eyes piercing the raven deep enough to cause the pasty man to stiffen and to grip the dress with tight fists, knuckles turning snow white.

"…Say…"Yes **Master** "?"

Beyond chuckled darkly, "My, you are broken, aren't you? How sweet. I never knew how easily it would actually be. But yes, that is correct Lawli. A master should be addressed correctly. Now, strip."

L slowly nodded, and, wincing while doing so, got off the mattress, taking off his now dirty and bloody white shirt, and tossing it to the ground mutely.

"Good boy…now…the pants?"

"…" L felt humiliated at the moment, but what choice did he have? He could see no reason to fight this anymore. Or at least this game at the moment…

Or maybe L just could not fight anymore?

So the jeans were unzipped, unbutton, and uncared about as the broken raven tossed them away with no care.

"…One last thing, Lawli-chan." Beyond smiled sweetly, nodding towards L's boxers which the raven had weakly slipped on last night after their last "session", "Those must go too. Don't worry, I'm not going to touch you…not yet anyway."

"…Alright." The detective slipped off the undergarment slowly, stepping out of the boxers and gently kicking them aside.

"…Now the panties and dress, Lawliet." B ordered sternly, "MUST I tell you everything?"

"…No, Beyond. You do not. I apologize." L softly returned, slipping the womanly undergarment on himself, finding it excruciatingly uncomfortable due to it not meant for a man, and the dress followed, the raven slipping it over his head with a resigned sigh.

"MUCH better L!" B chirped, smiling and looking as happy as a school girl, clapping his hands, but grinning like Lucifer. He swiftly walked over to his captive, gently taking L's chin in his sticky-from-the-jam-hand, "Now you are ready to serve me properly, my little maid." Beyond whispered heatedly, causing L to elicit a small gasp.

"Ah, L. Do you…feel pleasure course through you when you hear that? When you hear you must serve me? Is that a deep desire of yours?" The jam-lover again whispered hotly, finishing the sentence with a puff of air right into the pearl of an ear that L owned upon his porcelain face.

"N-No…?" The detective was not sure how to exactly answer without getting reprimanded, hurt or even…violated again.

"Tsk Tsk…do not fear, L, I shall not harm you for that defiance. But eventually…" Beyond moved his lips until they were centimeters from the others "You will want to serve me of your own will. I shall make sure of it. It is only fitting for someone so low, so broken, such as you, be made to serve those whom are better than him."

"…" Here, the older one was silent, but hung his head once B dropped his chin roughly, and walked a few feet away, his back to L.

"Now…wait here and I suggest you do not run. Not that there is anyone or anyplace for you to run to…" The killer cackled as he left, leaving a confused and worried L to stand there.

….A few moments later gave way to the sound of running water that L could detect; it was coming from inside the warehouse, but from where exactly was unknown to the older one.

"…Oh, LAWLI…my feet are dirty," Beyond called joyously as he re-entered the room, a plastic bucket in hand, a washcloth in the other, and "Wash them for me."

"…" How…disgusting. What a job that was….utterly humiliating to beseech L Lawliet with. How…..

_How ugly…tasks could be ugly, could they not?_

"….Oh, cheer up Lawli-pop," Beyond icily said, grinning his trademark suspicious grin as he ran out of the room after dropping the bucket and cloth in front of the raven, grabbing a wooden chair that he had situated out in the hall, and placing it with a hard thud directly in front of L; the killer hopped lazily into furniture, stretching a bare foot out in front of L's pallid, thin face, "Now wash, L. Cleanse your God's feet."

"..." L picked up the washcloth, dunking it in the bucket with a firm splash, and picked up the outstretched right foot, and began to silently scrub.

"..Respond to the order, L. NOW. Subjects always respond to their masters." The jam-devourer ordered with a glare of pure hatred.

"…Yes, Master Beyond." L felt his soul and will die even further, if that was even possible.

"Hehe," B reached out, gently caressing the midnight locks of the other, "That's a good L…Finally listening to someone; finally being controlled by someone."

"…" The detective just continued to wash the foot, his dark orbs glued to the appendage of the killer, and the tiny toes that were also there as well. Beyond had been right about his feet being dirty, and L could not help but wonder if his were this dirty.

_We both walk around barefoot…how much do we actually have in common…? For the longest time, I figured that…that we were complete opposites…but…but now…It is not just our appearances that make us alike…_

_We are both cynical, we are both heartless…_

_We both have felt immense pain…Oh, Beyond…I could apologize for everything a thousand times, yet you would think that it was nothing; that I was just trying to save my own skin…_

_But I know…I know because I've been there…not exactly, one-hundred percent there, but I was there…though…_

_You shall never care…_

"Now the other foot L." Beyond ordered like a king, roughly taking the right foot out of the bony hands and fingers, and shoving the left foot at the other's face, inches away from the pointed nose of L, whom grabbed the foot, and began to bathe that one as well.

"…Yes Master."

_Master…why do you wish for me to call you that…? Do you really want to rule me, Beyond…? Like a dictator, a God…? Do you…? Why? Am I just a piece of broken glass to you…? Is that it?_

"Hehe…you're getting good at calling me master, Lawli. You learn so quickly. So quickly, that is it almost scary in some ways, but…I always knew you would catch on to anything quickly."

_Yes, Lawliet…you learn so fast…and you do catch quickly; so can you see what I am doing to you? Lowering you? You must, you aren't a stupid fool; yet, you do not know your own fate, and I bet that scares you…Good. You need to be scared. Feel the fear all too similar to mine that I felt when I was younger. I grew up quickly, I gained strength…and now I shall be taking yours._

_His strength…you are taking that. Isn't there any part of you that regrets this…? Any part at all? Look at him, you are making him wash your feet…! That…that must be utter humiliation for him!_

_Duh, exactly…that was the whole plan; break him, humiliate him, then…finish him off. That plan will no be diverted._

_You still plan to kill him? Even after yesterday! Those kisses, they were so real, so pure! Those kisses you placed upon his frosting-covered face, that tongue gently caressing the man you've loved for so long!_

_LIES…complete and utter lies! Those kisses were FAKE! Stop trying to divert my path, whoever the hell you are!_

_Who am I? I am you, you fool…your inner being, telling you this is wrong! I'm your inner conscience, the one you tried to destroy years ago; I am the heart that you tried to kill when A died! But I cannot die, Beyond; I can only die if you will, and I know, with one-hundred percent satisfaction and trust, that you will not let yourself die now…_

_! NO, you…you are not me…! You aren't, you aren't…!_

_Beyond, look at yourself…look at L. This was not what you always wanted. You never wanted him dead, you wanted to love him, to have him love you; you wanted him to make love to you, to tell you that this is all right, that the world isn't as rotten as you believe it to be!_

"…" B was silent as he was fighting another silent war in his mind; he could even picture the two Beyonds in his head arguing at each other, and the killer kept trying to deny all of which the "conscientious" B was stating.

_ENOUGH! How dare YOU tell me what I want, who I am…! You know nothing of me!_

_What part of, "I AM YOU" do you not understand…? I know what you want, deep down I KNOW! Stop playing this deadly gamed, and wake up…!_

"…" Now the killer began to shake, and feeling the other body beginning to move erratically, L looked up from his chore, blinking in surprise, and he tried to gaze into those garnet eyes.

"B? Are you oka-"

 **BAM** …

Beyond had taken the foot L was still lightly holding and sent it flying into the detective's face, the raven being flown to the ground a few feet away in a state of perpetual shock.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Beyond screeched with a sad wail, his pale, and still sticky- from-the-jam-hands gripped his bony head as he stood up quickly knocking over the wooden chair.

"Beyond? What's wrong?" L called out as he tried to stand up, and winced at the pain that was running through his face and bones.

_…Why do you care…This man has destroyed you, yet you ask what is wrong…Lawliet, you have officially lost your mind, haven't you?_

"NONE OF YOUR CONCERN L! JUST GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" B screamed at the top of his lungs, his body shaking even more, and L could see the grip the man had upon his head tighten, knuckles turning pale.

"Beyond, calm down! We…we can work this-AGH!"

The man could not finish his sentence, for Beyond had thrown the wooden chair at the raven with all of his might, sending L flying back in a scream of pain.

"…Hehe…KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You think you know me, but you know nothing! I KNOW ALL!"

L groaned in pain as B laughed up another storm, his blood-eyes alight with madness; the laughter did not die for a good amount of minutes and even then, the copy's body shook slightly, the Devil's smile from Hell gracing his pale face.

"…Hehe…Did Lawli get himself hurt? Poor thing…" A sad little pout appeared, vanishing instantly as quickly as it had arrived; "Now…I brought something else for you to wear."

The copy reached into his baggy jeans, pulling out a pair of black, metallic handcuffs and began slowly walking over to Lawliet.

"You need to walk around while you serve me, but we cannot have you running away, can we…don't worry, you will still be able to walk, just not run. Think of it like….like prison L; you are my prisoner, and…." With a snap and a click, the cuffs were bound on L's ankles, and Beyond roughly tugged him up, whispering hotly, "I am your beautiful bloody warden, who you must obey at all times." A quick lick of L's ear, B's tongue dipping into the ear all but just barely caused the raven to gasp, his ebony orbs widening even more.

"Ah, L…you gasp so much at my attention of you? Are you craving me, lusting after me or…are you just a whore and you gasp at pleasure at all times? Hehe…"

"…I…I do not, how...how can you call me that! I-"

 **BAM** ….a punch right across L's nose, sending him falling back again, feeling even more pain; pain that just added to the torture of being hit by the chair moments ago.

"NEVER question me, you lying piece of slime!" B snarled, and turned away, as if he….he did not mean for that to come out? Did he regret those words? Or was he just trying to control his temper? Perhaps neither of those options?

"…I apologize, Beyond." L shook off the pounding piercing pain, and stood, and after getting used to the handcuffs bound upon his ankles, he tottered over to B, hanging his head due to the humiliation and because the instinct of apologizing to B was becoming second-nature to him.

"…" The killer was silent for a moment, and then let out a snort; he grabbed L's arm roughly, dragging him outside the room, "Just shut up and serve me, L."

"…" As he was dragged down the hall, Lawliet gazed at the rusty metal hallway, eyeing some of the splatters of blood dotting the walkway and the metal pieces aligning it like terrible furniture décor.

They arrived at a bare room, with only a mattress nestled in the upper right corner; there was a broken mirror frame and the shards of the mirror were still littering the floor from the other day. Dirty black shirts and jeans were flung haphazardly everywhere, and a little sunshine was coming in from the window above the mattress.

"…Your room." L stated, not questioned.

"Of course. Now clean it. And clean it barefoot."

"?" There was glass in the majority of the living space, the chances of L stepping on a piece of two was…highly likely. No, more certain with almost one-hundred percentage that he would.

"Don't give me that look, just clean it up!" Beyond pushed L into the room roughly, and the older man lost his balance, and fell upon a few shards, and gave out small yelps of pain.

"…" The detective stood up, and winced as another shard buried itself in his skin.

"I shall be back in exactly thirty minutes; I need to finish setting up…a game for us. There is a wastebasket in the corner. Now, GET. TO. WORK." B slammed the bedroom door as he exited; cackling evilly as his footsteps retreated, leaving a despondent L in the room.

...

* * *

 

Thirty minutes passed, and the room was fairly clean to L's standards: Every last glass shard was either buried in L's feet, hands, arms or legs, or located in the wastebasket; sadly it felt like more of the former than the later, even though it was not so. The clothes had been put in a small pile near the bed, and L had taken a Kleenex and had wiped away some of the blood and jam stains.

The door opened with a bellowing slam, and Beyond smiled, "…Not bad Lawli, but I've seen better…Aw, you're bleeding. Don't worry; I'll take care of those later. Now come."

The copy left the room, heading towards another, L following, "I am hungry, Lawli-pop. You must feed me now, understood?"

"…Yes Beyond."

The kitchen was no better than how the bedroom had been; messy, dirty and with rusty, broken and cracked metal walls. Jam jars were scattered to all four corners, jam itself splattered upon all walls and counters, the refrigerator, and the table and chairs. One could say that it looked like someone had had an orgasm of jam proportions.

There was also a mix of blood upon some walls, and random knives were lying on the table and counters, which themselves were a disastrous mess. But B seemed to mind none of this, and hopped up into a chair, getting into a duplication of Lawliet's crouch.

"There is a jam jar in the fridge, L. Get it out." He ordered, staring darkly at the other; The captive obeyed, opening the creaky pale yellow appliance's door, and taking out a jar and outstretching his hand to B.

"Pfft…you're supposed to open it, L. How dumb are you?"

"…" The older one unscrewed the top and again, outstretched his hand to the copy.

"What part of "FEED ME" do you not get? Have you lost your intelligence, L? Hah…"

"…It is jam, how do you expect me to feed-"

Beyond finally had his impatience boil over, and he jerked the jar into his grasp, and grabbed L's hand with another; he wasted no time, and dunked some jam into the bony appendage and began to heartily lick it up off the hand, causing L to become frozen with shock.

"THAT is how you feed me, you fool. Now, hold out your hand and leave it there." B ordered, and continued to eat off of L's hand, leaving a few bites and nips into the skin as well; panic and odd sensations were welling up in L's chest, and a concerned expression bloomed upon his face.

B looked up as he continued to eat off the other's hand, and smirked when he saw the look on the other's face; he smiled a smile of the Angel of Death, strawberry jam lining his teeth and lips.

"Lawli looks concerned and troubled…what is bothering my little servant?"

"…" Silence from the other man…

"…" B furrowed his brow, and stood up with a clang, jerking L's hand even closer to his mouth; a wet muscle of B's tongue came out to lick that strawberry smile and the jam coating it, and the copy's red eyes came to lock with L's black ones.

"…You will not tell me, will you L? Fine, then." The killer's sharp teeth showed themselves, and the man lunged his mouth at the raven's hand, sinking the teeth deep into the skin, causing L to let out a scream of pain; even more so because the bite from Beyond and the jerking of his hand had caused some glass shards to sink in deeper to L's skin.

"S-Stop! That hurts! Let me go!" The detective began to shake and shiver, and he even tried to gently remove his hand with small tugs, but that only made B sink his fang-like molars and canines in deeper.

"Never…" He mumbled around the hand, "I shall never let my Lawliet go…", and then Beyond proceeded to…almost chew upon the hand; not roughly, gently, but the pain of the teeth being sunk into his skin and the glass sinking even further due to the motion near the pieces made L wail in pain.

"Stop! I beg of you, please!" Tears were now watering in L's eyes, and the man's strength finally gave out, making him collapse to his knees with a shudder and a wail, due to a few glass shards being in his kneecaps.

"…ENOUGH of your screaming, Lawliet!" The other screamed with rage, and roughly grabbed L by the edge of his dress, lifting him up and bringing him face to face, only inches apart. "If you will insist on screaming at me, then you shall scream how I want you to. Hehe…"

Those midnight orbs widened again, and before he had even time to react, the detective found himself over Beyond's shoulder, being carried off to an unknown destination.

"…You will have fun Lawliet. I set up this room especially for us." A hand came up L's dress to lightly squeeze his bottom, causing the pallid man to flash a scarlet red.

The trek to wherever they were headed was long, but they finally arrived at a green door, with bloody handprints aligning it.

"Here we are!" B chirped and kicked down the door, and L stretched his head to see…

A room filled with bondage toys of all sorts, causing him to gasp and his mouth to fall open in shock, unfiltered shock.

All forms of handcuffs, metal, plastic, even some furry ones, hung from the walls and even on two tables that were in the room; one table was wooden, and seemed fairly normal, while the other metal one had metal spokes all around the edges and a few on the main table. Paddles and gags of all forms were hanging from hooks near the door. There was a St. Andrew's cross on the far right wall; a spider-web roping technique on it's opposite. Shelves on the walls held syringes, filled with various colorful liquids, most likely the drugs B had been concocting. Whips and ropes were hanging or were in many a box nearby. There was even a pair of long handcuffs hanging from the ceiling, just begging to have a victim in them.

"See Lawli? It will be so much fun! It's taken me forever to set this up perfectly, and I still have more stuff in boxes!" The jam-lover nearly squealed with joy, "Don't worry, we'll get to try everything….but let's start with the basics, why don't we?"

"…Please no."

"…You mean please YES." Beyond lunged to a nearby wall, slamming L against it, and greedily like a horny teen began tearing and ripping off L's dress, nearly shredding it with furor, the pieces falling all around him.

"Oh…we should get rid of all these glass shards, shouldn't we? Don't want you to get infected and die too early, now do we?"

_…Just leave them in if there is a chance of my death, Beyond…death is looking better with each moment, **my dear successor…**_

"Y-You don't-AGH! STOP!" L could not finish for the other had begun yanking out the shards with just as much anxiousness that he had shown while he ripped off the elder one's dress.

"THERE! All done!" B smiled as every single shard that he had spotted was thrown aside, and now L was bleeding from the cuts the glass had caused and a few tears had begun to fall.

"Aww…did I make Lawliet cry? TOO BAD. LIGHTEN UP."

_…Light…Raito…Raito…are you thinking of me…? Do you even know that I am gone…? I suspect of you being Kira, so I thereby infer that you do not care…but is it too much to hope that you do…? Why-_

A loud bang echoed out as L was shoved near a pair of handcuffs, snapping him out of his reverie; Beyond hooked his hands first, and after removing the pair of cuffs that were around L's ankles to begin with, the pair on the wall became fastened to his body.

"Hmmm…" B took a step back to view the hanging L, as if he was a Michelangelo work of art, "Good except…oh, of course!" He snapped his fingers in recognition and walked back over to L, and ripped off the black, laced panties, the pieces falling to the ground. "MUCH better."

"B-Beyond…Please…"

The copy threw off his shirt, revealing a bare chest with a few tiny scars, and L blinked once they came better into view.

"You like them L?" One of B's hands came up to caress a scar, "I gave them to myself years ago…I was testing to see how far I could go…how bad I could bleed."

"…" The detective unconsciously continued to stare, his mind wrapped around B's words, hearing, listening, but his eyes were completely focused on the chest in front of him…and not just for the scars. B's body was so similar to L's…but….

L found it almost attractive how skinny the man was; he wasn't the exact same amount as L but…somehow….it was….

_**WHAT** are you thinking…? Stop staring at his body…! You are **NOT** attracted to this man, you-_

"You are staring at me, Lawli-pop…" A gentle hand cupped L's chin, "Are you beginning to lust after me now? Or are the scars scaring you somewhat?"

"…" L was silent, but sent an angry glare at the question of if he was lusting after Beyond; that was utterly ridiculous.

"…Well, no matter. Even if you come to want me and my body, you shall never have it, for you have lost all hope of ever getting it."

"…That statement leads me to believe that there was a chance that I even could have it, Beyond." L replied monotonously, and the statement actually caused B to gasp and blink.

"What? You stupid fool, that was never to happen. I felt nothing for you, and I never shall." The other returned with a growl, and he stripped himself of his pants and boxers as rapidly as he could, "Now…scream for me L!"

The copy shoved two fingers roughly into the detective's portal, and the man screamed in agony as the appendages probed and prodded his being. B had set the handcuffs up giving L little movement as he faced the killer; he could only squirm somewhat, but even that was difficult do to B's body pressed against him and the fingers violating him. Another bony finger made its way inside L poking and pulling, stinging and sickening.

"GET OUT! BEYOND, STOP, I-Ah…" The detective stiffened as something inside of him was touched so wonderfully, so heavenly, that it made him see white and his mouth go slack.

"…So. THAT's where it is. Well, I'll just have to avoid hitting that spot, won't I L?"

"…W-What…? You…" L was coming out of the trance that touch had caused him to slumber into, and…

He screamed violently in torture as B thrusted into him quickly; the terrible preparation for the entrance had done little to stifle the pain, for B had just poked him roughly, no stretching at all.

"BEYOND! STOP! PLEASE I BEG…I AM BEGGING YOU!" L screeched as the man began thrusting in and out with rapid speed, some blood leaking from L's entrances as he did so.

"KYAHAHAH! Scream Lawli-pop! Scream for your Master! Your God who shall forever own you, who shall forever be in your thoughts! I shall CONSUME you!" The copy screamed as his nails dug into the detective's chest, causing bleeding scratches to form.

L was crying by now, the pain all too great for his broken soul to handle; you would think he would be used to it by now, but…..

He never could get used to it…

 **NEVER**.

"SAY it L! Let me here you say it! Say **I OWN YOU**!"

"…AGH!" When Lawliet had not responded quickly enough, the captor sped up his thrusting pace and the scratching went even deeper, "Y-YES! **You own me**!"

" **FOR-HOW-LONG**?" With each thrust of pain, B made sure to miss L's prostate now that he was one-hundred percent sure of the angle and position of it. He had mentally memorized it so that any screams of pleasure L was to ever omit from those pale, chapped, bloody lips of his would be forever silenced.

"… **F-FOREVER**!" L bellowed, enraptured in pain and sorrow as more tears sprang forth; it was true…B would probably forever own him after this day.

L could tell there was no way he would ever be returning to how it once was….

When he was strong…

When he was amazingly powerful…

When he had the will of a World Leader whom had not been corrupted…

When he had the soul of fire, the heart of a lion, and the walls around his heart were made of steal…

But now…

He was **weak** …

He had no power…

His will was **destroyed** ; he was to forever be own by the man raping him at this very moment…

His soul was as cold as frozen ice, his heart a dead corpse of a lion, killed off by a hunter, and the walls had melted into mush that could never be repaired…

L gasped as Beyond's warm liquids filled him, and when a final thrust was followed, a strangled, tired scream came from the older one's body.

"…Lawliet is tired after that little session, isn't he?" B whispered as L hung there limply, head hanging, eyes staring emotionlessly and dead at the ground, "Well, no matter, you can sleep for now."

L paid the killer no heed as he heard the man rustle objects near by; only when B came to stand in front of him did the raven even respond, with a quick blink.

…

Then, instantly, the raven stiffened in shock as a gentle hand came to his entrance, wiping a few drops of blood from it. B's hand returned to its Master, and a set of pale, but still pink, lips gently soaked up the tiny drops.

"…Goodnight, Lawliet…for now." Those stained lips crashed onto L's in surprise, and before L could even react in shock, he felt a syringe insert itself into his neck, and he yelped in surprise as Beyond inserted the drug into his system.

It took mere second, at the most a minute, for the sleeping drug to take effect, and L's heavily eyelids fell on glazed over midnight orbs, the last thing they saw was a stern look upon Beyond's face as the raven fell into a deep slumber that was sure to last hours, if not unto the next morn.

"…" The copy was silent as he unhooked L from the handcuffs, the limp, prone body of the elder of the two resting gently in B's grasp. The silence continued as the man walked the sleeping beauty back to the room he had chosen for his hostage.

With a gentle bang, the man stepped into L's large room, and with care, placed the man on the old bed he had given the detective.

_Was drugging him REALLY necessary…? Who KNOWS what those mixes do to him!_

_I don't care…hopefully they give him nightmares…_

_If they do, they most likely **YOU** are in them…_

"…" Beyond felt a tug of something inside his soul….was it….hurt?

_You know that most likely is true…_

_SO? I want to haunt his nightmares! He deserves it!_

_You REALLY want that? Are you sure?_

_OF COURSE I AM!_

"…" But B said nothing, for…he really wasn't. Was the whole idea of maybe being a part of L's nightmares that bad of an idea for him? Was it really?

So, as silence permeated the air, Beyond chained L to the bed, taking one last gaze at the man who was causing so many debates in his mind…

And possibly his resurrected heart…

The door slammed with a thud as he left; and silence would fill the entire warehouse for hours to come…

* * *

 

**Thousands of Miles Away, Winchester, England: 1: 30 PM**

"Are you SURE that is his name, Mihael?"

"Hell yeah, I am!" Mello bellowed as Near and himself were working in the library's computer room; with Matt keeping watch in case someone was to come by.

"But Mello, no man by the name of "Beyond" has come up yet on these search engines." Near returned monotonously, his dark eyes staring at the screen.

"I KNOW Nancy-Boy, just give me time…maybe…HEY, you and Matt switch places."

"…Why?"

"He can hack into the Wammy's computer system! I bet there is information there!"

"…I don't want to switch places. I'd rather stay here. You switch." Near stated coldly, his blank gaze now turning to the blonde.

"WHAT? NO WAY, NEAR! I HEARD the name; I heard EVERYTHING, so I need to do this! YOU switch!"

"…No."

"WHY NOT?" Mello screeched, grabbing his near by chocolate bar, and taking a big bite, trying to calm his fraying nerves.

"…No reason. And can you keep calm? Someone may here us, and we are not allowed in here without permission to use the computer room."

"I KNOW THAT BUT-"

" **CAWW**!"

Damn…

BUSTED….That was the signal Matt was to give if an adult was coming.

Quickly, Mello shut down the computer and grabbed Near's hand, charging out of the room and hiding behind some bookshelves.

"Matt…" It was Roger, "Did you just…'caw'?"

"Yeah, practicing my bird calls. You like?" The gamer replied with a chuckle.

"Eh…it needs work."

Retreating footsteps echoed in the quiet halls, and the blonde sighed in relief; about this time, he came to realize he was hugging Near close, a chocolate-coated hand over the albino child's mouth.

"Uh? What the?" Mello pushed Near away, who just shook his head in resignation.

"We're coming back here once there's little chance we'll get caught."

"…And that is WHEN?"

"TONIGHT." Mello smirked as he bit his candy bar,

"We need to do this soon…L's life is at stake…"

* * *

 

**Thousands of Miles, in Kanto, Japan…2:54 PM:**

Raito had gotten NO, yes, **NO** sleep last night.

He had lied awake for hours on end, due to the haunting of L the World's Greatest Detective in his poor, godly brain.

_…I wonder…Nah, it's stupid to ask…NOT THAT I CARE ABOUT HIM EITHER!_

The Yagami son had been debating internally for hours whether he should ask Watari about…this kidnapper, to learn more about him. He would not be able to kill him (like he even would…especially if the man was to kill L) due to not knowing the man's face, but perhaps Watari had a picture? NO! That was not the point of this! He was doing this to learn more about whom would seal L's sad, pathetic fate.

_…Raito-kun thinks I am pathetic…? That is mean…Raito thinks I am strong…that is why he wants me. Wants me badly…but you do want me UNDER you, legs spread open widely, yes? So I guess you do think of me as submissive…but-_

"…" Raito began to twitch at that annoying voice that would never leave him alone; perhaps if he asked about that kidnapper it would disappear?

 _Raito is concerned about me! He shall come and save me now! …For Raito, I do not know how long I have to live…and you know, deep down, that you want to save me…so you can fuck me into the mattress later on…_ The voice gave a light chuckle at the last remark…

"Well, it can't really hurt to ask if this voice will leave me alone!" The brunette snorted and silently left the investigation room, heading towards the kitchen, where Watari was making coffee.

"Hey…uh, Watari?" _Remember, this is because you are curious, not because you care about L, love L or want to screw L so badly he comes so fast and hard he shall never want another lover…WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?_

"Yes, Master Raito?" The elderly man tried to give off a cheerful persona, but it was failing miserably.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try to upload the other one tomorrow because i feel like it
> 
> See you tomorrow (probably)


	6. Chapter 6: Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im SO so sorry, i know i said i would update soon but.... My computer went crazy and i couldn find the BKSS document 
> 
> But here i am, and im going to post the other one right after this 
> 
> Enjoy..

_"Why, then the world's mine oyster."_

_The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II Scene II_

* * *

 

"Questions, Master Yagami? What sort?" The old guardian had placed down the coffee pot on the marble counter top, and had now fully turned to the younger man, letting Raito Yagami know that Watari's full attention was on him.

"Um…I know it may not be my place…but…is there anything you can tell me about Ryuzaki's…kidnapper?" Yes, Raito…play it cool…make it look like you care about Ryuzaki's…L's… well-being. What a load of bull… The young man hid a similar to Satan's smirk so well…

"…" Quillish was silent, a hard stare zapping into the Yagami boy's sepia eyes. The man was acting overly cautious, but was that so much of a surprise? L was, from what Raito could see, almost like a son to you quiet elder.

"Look, it may not be my place, but-"

"No, Master Yagami, it is not your place; especially when Ryuzaki suspects you so much of being Kira. I am not sure that he would appreciate any information being leaked in general, but I know he would be livid if I let you know anything. I am sorry."

"…" Raito, shockingly, had nothing to say; no, it was more that…he could not find the words. He knew what the old man was saying was true…but why did…why did it hurt so much to know that L only thought of him as a troublesome suspect, a young adult that was intelligent, but most likely a mass-murderer?

"…Watari, I know that. But…look, isn't bringing Ryuzaki back to safety the most important aspect right now? I have the same level of intelligence as Ryuzaki, you know that, and perhaps I can do something to help?" The brunette took a moment to take a breath, "And no matter if Ryuzaki suspects or not, I do consider him my friend, and he does as well. And **I DO** care about him; I also swear that I won't tell a soul as to whatever you tell me, Watari, I promise."

_Yes…act like you are compassionate…act like you care. My, your acting skills have not diminished at all, have they?_

"…" The elder sighed, and with a shake of his graying head, he spoke, "Alright, Raito, I shall speak of this man, but I cannot tell you much. Please, sit." Quillish gestured to the wooden table nearby, and the brunette elegantly seated himself before the man, silent as a woodland animal during the hunting era.

"…The man who has taken Ryuzaki was…. once a successor of him."

"!" Raito visibly showed shock, he knew it, and the chocolate orbs blinked rapidly.

"…Yes, I know, it may be hard to believe. Well, this man…he has had an obsession with Ryuzaki since an early age. A dark, deep obsession; deep enough to where this man actually changed his appearance to look like Ryuzaki."

"…What? That…that twisted? How-"

"I feel that it would take too long to explain the how's, why's and when's, Master Raito. Besides, I do not even know the exact details and inner workings of Beyond Birthday's mind and-" Watari gasped as the name had just slipped from his weary lips as if he was speaking of the weather.

"...Who? What was that name?" Raito knew now this was not just fake compassion building up; it was real curiosity as well.

_That name….why did…it sounded familiar…_

"…L would be furious if I told you, Master Raito." Mister Wammy stated firmly, "Besides, his name is of no importance and he…this man has ties to L that are important, and if this whole ordeal has interference from an outsider, the effects could be detrimental to someone's life!"

"Yes, Watari, detrimental to L's life! If you know the man's name it is a start, yes?" I wouldn't be able to kill him with just a name…not like I even would! W-What am I thinking?

"That is not it, Master Raito. This man…." Watari sighed a tired sigh, and let himself fall with little grace, and completely out of character, into the chair next to Raito, "This man is **deadly** , Yagami-san. Extremely. One wrong word or action could set him off on a murdering spree, and cause L great harm, or even kill him."

"All the more reason for you to repeat his name to me, Watari." The secret killer ordered firmly, hoping that the correct words would coax the man to open up more.

"…His name is **Beyond Birthday** , Master Raito. You may remember that name from the **Los Angeles BB Murder Cases** , if I am to assume that you have followed American cases as well as Japanese ones. This man killed three people to capture L's attention, and was eventually caught by Ryuzaki, with the help of Naomi Misora. You remember her, yes? Kira killed her…."

_Misora…THAT was when she worked with L?_

"…Yes, I do remember." Raito could not shake the feeling that he had heard the name Beyond Birthday somewhere before.

"Well, Beyond was arrested, and taken to the Los Angeles Prison. But….not long after he was there….he escaped."

"!" Again, the brunette knew that shock was clearly printed across his wonderfully framed face.

"And to prevent the public from worrying, the Los Angeles Prison heads decided to announce that Beyond had been killed by Kira; which of course was completely false."

_…THAT'S IT! THAT is when…I…I saw that report!_

_And it WASN'T ME that had "killed" him!_

"…" Raito remembered now; he had come home from school that day to see the report of the serial killer Beyond Birthday dying in Los Angeles due to a heart attack, but the young man had no recollection of writing that name down days ago.

He had written numerous names and seen a multitude of faces, but that name just couldn't come to him! He had even asked Misa, and the dumb blonde could not even remember the name herself, but Raito had just thought she was being stupid again.

But now….it had all made sense.

No face had been shown at all, no name given earlier as well….

It all added up to Beyond living…

And kidnapping L…

"…This is worse than I believed it to be…" Raito whispered to himself, not meaning Watari to hear it, but the old man did.

"I know Master Raito, I know." He sighed again for the umpteenth time, "Fortunately, I have been trading information with others that know L well….on the other hand; we have found little information leading us to Beyond Birthday's whereabouts. I, and the others, all of us, are at a standstill, Raito."

"…I see." Perfect…L will die, and then nothing will stand in the way of my utopia…nothing at all…But then why…why do I…

"Master Raito? You seemed….you seemed to be dazing at nothing…are you ill?" Watari commented at the silent man, whose sepia eyes were glued to the table, a neutral expression on his face.

"Oh? Uh, I am fine Watari. Just….concerned, that is all." The young man, sadly, for he would never consciously admit it, was not one-hundred percent lying in this case.

"Of course you are. Deep down, I can tell you do care about Ryuzaki, no matter what the accusations may be. But, I must speak honestly, Master Raito; I do follow Ryuzaki's judgment. And if he suspects you of being Kira, I am prone to believe him, for Ryuzaki has rarely been wrong with decisions he has made."

"…Rarely? You don't mean the great L has made-"

"As many have stated before….we are only human, we make mistakes. Ryuzaki has made his set of them; the majority of them when he was much younger.", The caretaker was silent for a moment, "Sadly, if I had stopped him from making those mistakes all those years ago, maybe….maybe I…we…would not be situated in this mess." Another dreary sigh escaped those aged, wise lips.

"…" Raito had a feeling that the older gentleman would not be sharing any more details about that, so he kept quiet. Silence was better than spewing nonsense.

"Now, if you excuse me, Raito, I have to bring coffee to the other gentlemen." With that and a bow, Quillish excused himself, leaving the brunette alone with his thoughts.

…

* * *

 

> Well, Raito…you find yourself in an interesting situation, do you not…? Heh…interesting indeed, yet also very helpful…
> 
> Extremely helpful…Ahahaha…
> 
> Oh, poor unfortunate Raito…..I shall not bore you with any hit of foreshadowing, or a long-drawn out explanation of his conflicting thoughts. I am not here to tell that tale, only this one, the one of twisted sanity and hearts gone asunder.
> 
> But I shall state this, if not for the sake of knowing what is going on in the young man's mind:
> 
> He was finding it harder to stay stone-cold Kira, with attachments to no man, beast, or soul, now that he knew new information about Ryuzaki…Ryuga…L.
> 
> * * *
> 
>  

_Am I too just let him die…?_

_…What am I saying? Of course I shall…L means nothing to me…absolutely nothing…_

…He shall forever remain that to me as well…Nothingness…

A figment of dark light that shall be exterminated with my golden own…

_If that man does not get rid of him first...Poor L, it seems you are about to meet your maker…yet, it shall not be me…it shall not be Kira…_

…

_I bet he's torturing you, isn't he…? Obsessions are deadly, Ryuzaki, they certainly can be. N-Not that I have sympathy for you…I shall forever have none!_

Tsk Tsk, Raito…it was too bad, terribly sad, that the man could not see…

That he was obsessed **himself** …

* * *

 

**Miles Away, B's Warehouse: Hours Afterwards, 7:18 PM**

He did not know where he was, why he was cold, what he was doing, nor what the metal objects that was touching his wrists were…

All L Lawliet knew was that, as he began to open his dark, murky orbs, he was stark naked, immobile, hanging upon the Saint Andrew's cross that had been in that bondage room he had been in the day before, and a blue ball gag was in his pale, wet mouth.

"Mmph!" The detective struggled against the cross' bonds, eyes wide and full of dread. Was this a nightmare? Had that drug before destroyed his brain?

"…This is no nightmare, Lawliet. Do you like it?" Beyond's voice pierced the darkened room's aura of dread that had encompassed the metal dwelling the moment L had awoken.

A dark chuckle came from B as he stepped from the corner's shadow, a hellish smirk upon his lips, which were stained a precious pink that was similar to that of the color of jam. He was half-naked, only a pare of baggy, bloody jeans donned his lanky form; in the dark, L could still make out the scars on B's chest, most likely due to the light glow of the moon coming in from the tiny window nearby.

"…You seem scared, L. Are you? Do you…" The killer stepped closer, touched L's chest with feathery caresses, "Fear your God? And….maybe even…" Here, B leaned up, breathing hot, moist breath in the detective's ear, "Lust after your Lord and Master?" A wet muscle escaped B's cavern of a mouth, and came to lick Lawliet's cheek in a slow manner, causing the older man to shiver and try to squirm away from the sensations.

"Kyahaha…Oh, Lawli-pop. You squirm in delight…or is it fear?" Beyond sighed, "Sadly, I cannot tell. Oh, but we shall find out, yes? Oh, and by the way…for the longest time, I thought you were deceased, Lawli. You weren't waking up, and…even when I…took you again, you barely responded."

"! MMPH?" The raven's eyes widened to their fullest extent, and he rattled the bonds holding him even more aggressively.

"Yes, Lawli, I raped you while you were unconscious." The man smirked evilly, a canine tooth protruding from his pink-tinted lips, "Though, it felt as if I was fornicating with a corpse. And it wasn't as fun; I love to hear you scream. If you do not believe me, look below. There is still some blood there, yes?" B pointed to the ground, where a few drops of blood were still pooling from the tears in L's entrance, "And I suggest not trying to struggle…your lower posterior and abdomen may suffer some pain, if I am correct? Hehe…."

L did try to move somewhat, but gave a groan and a wince came forth upon his porcelain face; the evidence was there, the blood and the pain, so it did seem Beyond had violated him while he was unconscious.

"Now, now…do not look so upset, Lawli-pop." B whispered sweetly, "It is going to get better, I promise. Well, I know at least for me, and…I can imagine that secretly, it will get better for you as well." The younger man turned his back to the detective, and headed towards one of the tables situated within the metallic room, "You see, Lawli, as you've probably gathered, suffering of others is a wonderful feeling for me...pleasurable…even arousing. Seeing the blood pour, hearing their blood-curdling screams, seeing them wriggling in pain...it's beautifully erotic. Yet, sadly, too much suffering can be somewhat of a distraction from the main goal of causing suffering in the first place. It can be…almost dull in some instances with its repetition. Now, many, like me, know that the main goal of causing suffering is for the suffering. To see all of those beautiful images, to hear those arousing sounds of utter bliss and joy. And we, those of us who relish in pain, are usually happy with our results. And we are not turned away from the monotonous-esque types of suffering that can result. But…if it does have a goal other than to just see the suffering and wallow in it, if the sufferer has another goal, say for instance, breaking someone to where they become only a shattered shell of their former selves, well, Lawli-pop, you need to make sure you do accomplish that, yes?"

Beyond picked up an object set upon the silver metal surface, his back to L, the object hidden from view, "And that is why I need to make sure that you are indeed completely broken, L; I need to confirm that to one-hundred percent authenticity, Lawli-pop. And I plan to do that by making you experience the most painful, pleasurable torture as of yet, my dear little Lawli."

He finally turned to face the detective, the killer smirking all the while, and the other's eyes widened to gargantuan proportions once he laid his sight upon the object within Beyond Birthday's hands.

It was…a modified dildo.

Looking to be made of silicon, and of a fairly large size, it was composed of three colors: Hell-fire red, sun-golden yellow, and ice-cold blue. There were four dials situated upon the non-pointed end of it, each an ebony midnight black with a glossy sheen. Overall, L was not looking forward to what was to come; oh, he knew what was coming, Lawliet was not a fool. And **Fear** , The Angel of Death's brother, was beginning to haunt the older man once more.

"It is impressive, is it not, Lawli-pop? I made it myself; it took me many months, but I finally was able to make it absolutely perfect. And those guinea pigs that I used as well were amazing specimens to try this out on." The wielder of the Eyes gave a light chuckle, and when L blinked in surprise, he continued, "Do not fret Lawli-Lawli; I did not take them like I have taken you. I only…made them have fun with this wonderful little contraption, and then sent them on their merry way….to the other side of course."

Beyond unleashed a cackle, and began stepping closer to the "crucified" man, whom began to struggle with half-effort against his bonds, giving off soft, pleading moans.

"Shh…now, now, Lawli. It's not going to be that bad…if anything, maybe in some ways you might enjoy this, perhaps even more than myself…oh, who the hell am I KIDDING? Haha!" B knelt down, and in an instant, shoved the sexual toy up L's orifice roughly, causing the raven to unleash a muffled scream of agony at the intrusion, followed by wallowed wails of wishing for Death, not Fear, to visit L, NOW.

"Mmmph! Utt! Utt!" Screamed the gagged one and he tried to struggle, but that only caused the pain from the secret raping session to rise up once more, and Lawliet groaned again, hanging his head in defeat.

"Out? Oh, but if that happened, Lawli, I would need to replace it with a REAL one. And, that shall not be happening until later…Hehehe…" The killer rubbed his hands greedily, like a wicked toddler about to behave naughtily…extremely naughty. "Now, let's just start with a basic, yes?" He knelt down, pressing one of the visible dials, turning on one of the devices inside the dildo.

In seconds…L felt it. It was a vibrator that began to hum and move the second Beyond had pushed the button, and the detective groaned and gasped as the sensations began to wrack his body. There was pain there, due to the constant raping of him and the tearing of his entrance's tissues, but somehow…no, this was impossible!

There…why the hell was there PLEASURE with this? He was being raped by a type of sexual toy that had become a machine to a manic man! How…how…?

"Uhh…Mmph!" Lawliet winced as B move the dildo somewhat, causing a little shock of pain to shoot up the man's spine, but the jam-lover returned the device to its original position a second later…

Only to begin repeating his action; pain, no pain, pain, no pain….B kept moving the device, causing hurt, then….no, not pleasure ( L would forever deny that this was pleasurable), but just no suffering, then the suffering would return.

"UPP! LEASE!" L begged without shame, and Beyond gave a small chuckle.

"Ah, so it does hurt. You are still torn up in there and yes, even a drop of blood or two is coming out, from what I can tell. Oh, you just want to feel the pleasure, don't you Lawliet? The pleasure that your God has graced you with today…" B stood up, and gently grasped the raven's pallid, but surprisingly becoming rosy, cheeks gently.

"Mmm…Heh, you look so pitiful right now, Lawli-pop; begging me for less pain, for just a little leniency. You say, in your mind, oh, I can tell you are saying this, that you just want less pain, but I can see it in these eyes L…you want to feel more pleasure too. All of what you're feeling, and some of what you have felt before, is pleasurable to you, deep down you know that it is." The jam-lover bit his lip on a mocking smirk, and shook his head, but you see Lawli…it is going to get much more…painful." The killer returned to the table and….his hand traveled to a sharp knife resting delicately upon the surface.

"Mmph! Hnn…Ah…Mmmm!" L was shouting muffled cries as he saw the man pick up the utensil, but suddenly, the device within him had touched something within him that made his eyes go wide and his jaw go slack. But the feeling vanished almost as quickly as it had appeared, and the feeling of only have that one….blissful sensation enwrap his body vanished as well, and the mixed bag of feelings returned; pain, agony, and….and pleasure (though he hesitated to admit this made him feel well) were all wrapped up in this "gift" Beyond Birthday had shoved at him.

"Oh…..That was a cry of pleasure, Lawli...KYAHAHAHA! You DO feel pleasure from this torture, don't you? I KNEW it, for I am NEVER wrong!" Another hurtful bellow from the killer echoed off the walls of the room, and B stepped closer with the knife, bringing the edge to the other's cheek as the vibrator continued to make the detective feel such a rainbow of emotions and sensations.

"Now, Lawli…I want you to tilt your head while looking at the scars upon my chest."

"?" L gave a confused expression, his body now beginning to shiver and slightly spasm with the vibrations.

"JUST. DO. IT. NOW!" Beyond ordered, and pushed the side of the knife harder against L's cheek, not cutting him, but mutely threatening him if he would not follow his Master's order.

Blinking at the harshness, Lawliet tilted his head, gazing at the scars upon B's slender figure. They looked as if they were random slashed upon his thinly-built body, but the detective knew that there had to be a reason for the man commanding him to do this odd action.

But then….it hit him…

The scars….they did form something….and L's eyes widened again, a muffled gasp coming forth.

"Well, L? What do you see? Do you see…something familiar?"

"… **L**." It was a muffled letter from the detective, but B understood him completely.

"That's right, Lawli. These scars make out an L…archaically, of course, and somewhat roughly. But I was able to make them form an L once you look hard and carefully enough. You did this to me, Lawliet," The man continued the rest with a snarl settled upon his face, his blood-red eyes flashing pure, deadly hatred, "You made me whom I am today…and there is nothing you can do about it."

"…" L was silent, and found that he could not look at B, look him in the eye, for the time being.

"But now….it is time to mark you, Lawli-Lawli. You shall experience sheer pain like I experienced that day…it wasn't just an experiment that day, L. It was a rite of passage that you forced me upon, one that I had to journey to on my own….BEYOND help from others."

The man picked up the deadly weapon, and it glistened in the little light that was shining in the room, and B gently pressed the tip to L's chest, just below his right nipple.

"Now, do not worry, L. I am not going to kill you here and now. When that is to happen…you shall feel only pain, misery, and torture. Not an ounce of pleasure shall be graced upon to your damned soul. So…" The killer gently sunk the weapon into the skin, not enough to kill, but deep enough to make the wound begin to bleed, deep enough to wear it would leave a permanent scar.

"MMMH!" L screamed in pain, closing his eyes, trying to block out all sensations enrapturing his body…

But Beyond made that even more difficult when he stepped closer to L, and using his dexterous foot, began to lightly jiggle the vibrator that was still slammed up L's orifice; moving it back and forth with his toes, causing L's own tiny foot appendages to curl in…bliss. Painful, heart-wrenching pain and pure, heavenly bliss…all mixed into one.

"Ah, L, you are enjoying this…feeling so many emotions wracking your senses at once. That alone is dreadful, isn't it? But maybe…you should cool down a while so I can do this with pure pain."

B jumped down onto all fours, and punched the running vibrator off, and another dial was pushed mere seconds after the other shut off its motion.

"….AHHHHHH!" A muffled cry exploded from L as a new, purely painful situation enveloped him.

Freezing cold…like that of tens of hundreds of ice cubes…made his body spasm uncontrollably, shivering like that of one with hypothermia.

"Ah, yes, Lawli…that is the cooling system I installed within that. It makes your whole body feel as if it was shoved into a freezer, or if millions of tiny ice cubes had been shoved into you. I have to admit, this is one of my favorite techniques that I have discovered as of yet. For there is little pleasure here…unless you love the cold, which I know is not your preference."

"AHHH!" The cold was unbearable, and being fully nude made the situation much, much worse for Lawliet; the man tried to struggle against the bonds once more, but groaned once again, all of the pain finally catching up to L.

Beyond sighed despondently, "They only sad thing is, this might dull some of the pain, but I highly doubt it. Since it is set to negative temperatures in Fahrenheit, I can imagine you are in dire straits, L. Now, I should finish this line before your body tries to get used to it…" The killer continued to move the knife down L's porcelain chest, blood trickling forth as L began to scream once more in pain; the pain now doubled over as the cold temperature seemed to drop even further, causing the raven to wish it all to end.

"Okay…that one…looks good. Now, the next one, Lawli!" B chirped cheerfully, and began starting another scar upon L's body, who was now hanging his head once more, his lanky body shivering even more, and frequently giving off spasms.

"I think I'll stop there…..let's let you have a LITTLE pleasure with this pain…that sensation, with those two basic ones combined, makes all men and women feel orgasmic, Lawliet; or at least full of pleasure."

…

The cold sensations vanished as B clicked off another button, and L's body finally calmed down, holding completely still save a few tiny shivers.

"Now, how you react to this shall be quite interesting indeed…." B whispered, and pressed another button, clicking into the on setting with a somewhat loud noise to L's ears…but perhaps that was because his senses were on high alert.

"…Ahhhh! Stup! Plwease!" L begged as heat, scorching heat, encased his body next. It was far from wonderful, but somehow…there was something…nice about it.

"Oh, Lawli…that begging is quite cute. You'll get used to the heat in time. I also have to say, the heating feature on this wonderful toy is quite lovely as well. The high temperatures make your body feel as if it was on fire, burning in all of the infernos Dante described, yes? But…I wonder….How you will act if I did this…"

B began to make another cut upon L's chest, causing him to yell violently into the night air, throwing his head back as far as it could go, and now tears began to fall from his hallowed, midnight eyes, despite them being shut tightly; the tears began to streak his already-marked-with-sorrow face once more.

Blood continued to dampen L's pristine chest, the deep scratch would surely leave a wound in time that would be there for all of eternity. The feeling of fire within his body strengthened, increased, and the detective's toes curled due to the warmth, and the mild pleasure coursing through his veins. Beyond knew what he was doing; that was painfully obvious. He knew L was feeling painful pleasure, due to the cutting, which itself was a horrid experience; but the heat exploding within L's inner body was somehow dulling the pain, making it almost…

Deathly lovely in a way…

"Mm….Your tears are drying up, Lawli. Is it from the heat of high temperatures running through you or because this actually feels…good to you? Hmm…perhaps a mix of both? Oh! I know how I can find out!" B proclaimed happy, and in seconds, he began roughly, harshly…demonically…carving another scar into L's chest, and the raven screamed in agony, for this was the deepest cut so far upon Lawliet's being; a greater amount of blood began to drip from it, and L turned his head away so as to not look upon it with a disgusted expression.

"Hehe…don't worry, Lawli. I'm not going to kill you; you should at least try to believe that. Now…..I wonder…" B kept carving into the raven's flesh, but bent down somewhat, and moved the still heating dildo farther up into L, and used his dexterous fingers to jiggle it once more.

"Ahhhh!" L's naked form stiffened as the sexual plaything was moved within him, and regrettably, he unleashed a muffled, filled-with-heavenly-pleasure groan into the sadistic room, with its sadistic headmaster standing right in front of the captive.

"Aha! Yes, the pleasure is overtaking you, L. It is; I can see it in your eyes. You shall soon be begging for more, and I shall not give it to you. So enjoy this while you can, for these marks upon your chest shall completely show how far you have fallen, how broken you truly are. Enjoy this heavenly utopia while it lasts, Lawli-pop; for if you know your history, you know that one utopia usually conquers another, correct?" B grasped Lawliet's chin roughly, ruby orbs glaring into ebony, "And mine shall conquer yours. Your fall shall be completed after tonight….truly completed. You shall be mine for the rest of your days on Earth, and even afterwards, wherever you shall go after your sad, pitiful death; which, may be sooner, since you are in my possession. Hehe…but that shall be told later on, so why bother worrying about your untimely demise now?" The killer sighed sadly, and even gave a dramatic pout, "This is starting to bore me, Lawli-Lawli. So…why don't we finish this and then have some more fun."

…The heat began to disintegrate once Beyond turned it off via the dial, and L silently breathed a sigh of relief.

"…AHHHH! Ah! Ah!" But it was mere seconds later that muffled cries of pure pleasure erupted from the detective; B had pressed another button, and it made L's toes curl in bliss, gasp in breathless sensations, and his whole soul feel as if it was in a heavenly aura.

"That is the electroshock setting, L, and from those eyes, you seem to be enjoying it the most of all. I have to admit, it is my personal favorite. It sends electric shocks all throughout the body of whom the device is situated in. Though usually quite painful at first, you seem to have taken a shine to it rapidly." The jam-lover gave a small chuckle with a teasing shake of his head, "Perhaps because of the cutting…or maybe you are a masochist; you like being shattered, like feeling that pain in your veins because it makes you feel alive? Well, no matter…"

The cutting continued, the sharp knife slicing into the older one's skin, blood beginning to drip even faster. The electric impulses shooting up L's spin continued to do so, causing the man to regrettably echo noises that which should not be echoed during a somewhat of a mutilation session; though, this could not be specifically called that, yes, but….in some ways, it was a newer form of mutilation…

Mutilation of L's soul…

"Mmph! Hm! S-STOP!" Lawliet's back arched automatically, without any action from the man's mind, and Beyond gave a louder chuckle at the action.

"Almost down, Lawli…just hang on…" The killer laughed heartily, the knife curving into L's flesh, then a second time a moment or so later, all the while L's body raked with spasms, shivers, and he voiced shouts of sheer enjoyment.

"And…DONE!" One last rough cut through the captive's chest left a final scar, and L screamed out one last time as the knife dug into him, letting loose another stream of blood down the pasty, bony chest. He smiled as the gashes had formed a rough-looking, but still clearly visible B.

"Mmm…" L hung his head as Beyond turned off the dildo's electroshock sensors, and ripped the toy violently from L's entrance, a few drops of blood from the torn tissue sprinkling the ground. A few seconds later, Beyond had removed the gag from L's mouth, letting it fall to the ground, and the detective began taking in many, much-needed breaths.

…

 **CLANG** …

Beyond had quietly removed the bonds holding L to the Saint Andrew's Cross, and the lanky man had fallen to the metal ground with a loud crash; the man did not bother to even move, he let his prone body lay there, his dark eyes staring into nothingness.

"Get up L." B ordered dictatorially, and when the captive just continued to lay there, he sighed in exasperation, and tugged Lawliet up roughly, "Fine, you choose to not obey, I'll MAKE you obey.

L hung in Beyond's grasp like a rag doll, not looking or paying attention to anything; if he would have lifted his head up, he would have seen a smirking B, but that was not to happen…yet.

 **SLAM** …

Lawliet felt his body be slammed against a wall, and against many rough ropes as well, which began to dig into his back, but the man showed no emotion at any of it.

"Now…I need some fun, L." A button being undone, a zipper slowly being unzipped sounded out in the room, but L paid no heed…

Why bother to care now…?

It was all over…

He knew…

He was to die here…

Maybe not here, in this room, per se…

But Beyond was eventually finish him off…

It was only a matter of time…

Before, L had known he was not ready to die, but…

That was before he had been shattered like a cheap mirror found in the garbage on a Saturday morning…

…Now death…death was just a way to get the hell out of this Ninth Circle…

"Now, now, Lawli…aren't you going to respond at all?" Beyond had stepped closer, and after grasping L's shoulders roughly, he inserted himself into the detective, who unleashed a scream, and did indeed wince, but he formed no tangent words, no solid sentences.

"Uhh…Lawli, you don't know how much I enjoy seeing you like this…bleeding because of me, for me. It's…heavenly." The killer began thrusting rapidly in and out, and L gave out small screams, but had barely the strength to make any sort of noise, show any reaction, or let any emotion bloom forth at all.

Beyond gave out small groans and moans, the heat of L's entrance, which began to bleed profusely again, for the infinite time since he had kidnapped the older man, was enveloping his twisted soul once more in an aura of pure unfiltered heavenly bliss.

"Uh…Lawli…now…I should mark you…in another way…" B chuckled, and leaned up, his nails digging into L's shoulders even more so, and opened his mouth wide, showing pointed fang-like canines and molars ready to move in for the kill.

…

"AHH!" L rained a scream of anguish down upon the room the second B's teeth sunk into the flesh of his neck, biting extremely hard, piercing the skin instantaneously, blood trickling down from the wounds to his collarbone. "S-STOP! N-AH!" B had begun thrusting in and out once more, his teeth sinking deeper into the skin of the poor captive raven.

B continued biting, and even went to sucking the flesh roughly, and only broke away, after many a long time, to throw his head back in ecstasy and give a low moan as he came inside the broken detective.

"…Hah…Hah…Heheheh…" Beyond chuckled darkly, and lent up to whisper hotly in L's ear, "I'll never stop, Lawli-pop. Not until you are six feet under, dead for the worms to eat as delicious food. Or…no, maybe I won't stop when you are dead. For wherever you shall go, be it Hell or Purgatory, I shall forever haunt your restless spirit, you tired, broken body shall be gone, but I'll still haunt your poor, unfortunate soul. And yes, these marks will forever remain upon your body, these marks showing that you are mine forever, but, I can hypothesize, that if I had been given the power to separate souls and bodies, either by the God, or by the Devil himself, I would see marks upon your tortured soul, that would remain there for all eternity, until all of this is gone in the blink of an sad, little eye."

B removed himself from L's tortured body, and untied the ropes holding the older man up; so, the raven fell to the ground in a heap once more, unmoving, unresponsive.

_"..." The poor fool…he has accepted his fate…oh, well, it shall make it easier when the time shall come…which is soon…_

_…Do you still plan to do it, Beyond…? Can you go through with it…?Are you one-hundred percent sure…?_

_Of course I am…!_

_…So you're NOT in love with him…you know, there is nothing to hold you back this time; you are old enough to find love with this man, you are no longer vying to be his successor. Why not take a-_

_WHY…? LOOK! LOOK at him! Could he possibly fall in love with me NOW…!_

_You did not deny that you are in love with him…_

_Shall I PROVE it to you I am not in love with him…!_

_You mean prove it to yourself, since I am you? Alright, fine, do that._

_GOOD! I will! I planned to kill him anyway, I shall just do it tomorrow…!_

_You mean you shall try. You won't do it though, I know you won't…_

_Fool…you underestimate me. I can destroy this man completely; I shall stab him in his heart, and sentence him to Hell, where he belongs._

_…You won't do it. But fine, prove it to yourself that you feel no love for this man, only hatred. Though, I wonder…if you truly held no love in your heart for him, why wait until now…? Could you not have killed him before…?_

_…I wanted to see him suffer, just like how I've suffered…!_

_And trust me, he has…but if you want to prove that you do not love him, go ahead. Kill him tomorrow, we'll see what happens, won't we…?_

_Yes, we shall…!_

"…" B growled, and gazed down at the prone L, whose eyes were closed, his breathing light and hard to even distinct whether it was well or not. He roughly threw the man over his shoulders, and stomped out of the room, back towards the raven's own.

Throwing L onto the bed like he was slinging a heavy bag, not caring about the merchandise within, he chained the naked man up once more, the ankle and wrist handcuffs snapping into place. The raven's chest was still profusely bleeding, so B grabbed the older one's own shirt, and used it as a sponge to soak up the life substance.

"…Don't want you bleeding to death now, do we Lawli…hehe…" He tried to give a dark chuckle, but it only came out as awkward and pitiful.

"…B, why are you doing this…?" A voice called out, and immediately, ruby eyes cast downwards to L, but the man was unconscious.

"It's me, you fool…look up."

B did so, and the shirt he was holding fell to the ground in a light flop.

"… **A-A** …?"

"Yeah, duh, who'd you think it was…?" It was him; **A** was just standing there….his curly blond hair, his crystal blue eyes. He did look older, more around B's age, than the twelve year old B had remembered him as.

"T-This…this can't be…..you're not real!"

"Duh, I'm not…I'm dead, you fool. You're just hallucinating this, but I might as well talk to you, and let you know this: Think about what you're doing, **BB**. Okay? If you don't….one, two, or many people are gonna end up unhappy. And that includes you, you know." The "A" gazed down at L, and held a somber expression, " Don't push it away if it's real B…or you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Believe me…" A flashed his gaze upon the frightened killer, "I won't tell you my opinion of all of this but…let's just say, if it turns out how I think it will…I shall say that I was right from the very beginning." The blonde figment turned his back upon B, and started walking away, fading slowly away.

"Wait, A? D-Don't go! What do you mean, you were right from the very beginning! Don't leave me again!" B wailed in anguish as the man was nearly gone.

"Heh…you've got Lawli-pop with ya, don't worry…Or…maybe you should, if this turns out how I think it will. See you…maybe we'll meet again…If God wills it…"

And with that he was gone…

Gone once more…

"…W-What…what did he mean…? And he had to have been real…w-why would I hallucinate that…?" Beyond was shaking, and for once, in a very long time, frightened. He ran from the raven's room, and once he placed his shivering back against the cold, hallway wall, the killer's strength finally gave out and slide to the floor, in a shivering, upset heap.

"Wha…What is happening to me…?" B whispered to himself, his special Eyes locked onto the dirty ground and he realized they were becoming somewhat…moist.

_N-No…b-be strong…this…_

_This will all end soon enough…and you know it…_

_And you know what will happen…_

"…Yes…" Beyond snarled, a grimacing smirk settled upon his lips. "It shall all end tomorrow…Lawli…KYAHAHAHAHA! It will, it will! I shall end it all!"

It was time…Time for judgment…

Time for Death to finally come…

Now if only Father Time could make the remaining hours go by quicker…

* * *

 

**Thousands of Miles Away, Winchester England….Late in the Afternoon, Half Past 3**

"You spelled, BEYOND wrong, Mello." Near blatantly pointed out, shaking his head as the young blonde was searching through Wammy's House's official documents, thanks to Matt's helpful hacking.

"…N-NO I DID NOT!" The chocolate lover growled, and would never admit that he had spelled the name as "Beyund"…how did stupid Near ALWAYS see his mistakes? HOW?

"…" The albino boy didn't even waste precious time with commenting on that, and just watched as Mello fixed the spelling and brought up a page.

"…Nothing, Near. They've probably hidden any records on, especially if he ran away, right?"

"…Perhaps, that would seem logical. But these are the top documents and web pages; they would not be that stupid to throw all of these away, yes?"

"Yeah…..then why…wait, look." The blonde pointed to a link on the screen labeled " _Those That Are Gone, Those We Leave Behind_."

"Press it." The owner of hundred of toys ordered, and the other complied bringing up…

A memorial page…

Adorned with flying cherubs and black ribbons at the top, and black roses at the bottom, there were two pictures, two links on the page.

One of a bright, blue-eyed boy, with curly blonde hair, who was shining a one-hundred watt smile.

Under the picture…the lone letter **A** , this was highlighted as a link…

The other picture was of a dark-brown haired boy, who was not smiling, but instead giving a teasing pout. You could tell, from the look in his….red….eyes that he was happy, but teasing the camera into making it, and the people behind it believe otherwise. It was almost downright cute, in a way. He had fairly pallid skin, but still a healthy hue.

Under that picture…the single letter **B** , also highlighted to show a link…

Under those two pictures were the words:

_The two whom we lost…the ones we could not save…One has perished, another is Lost forever to us…The second we had believed to be dead for so long is still alive, but shall never return to us, or the side of God…_

_May both find a way to Paradise…be it in Heaven or Upon here on Earth…_

_You shall forever remain in our thoughts and prayers, **Alleck Adaniels** and **Beyond Birthday** …_

_Amen._

"Hey, Mello…"

"Already pressing it, Nancy Near." In seconds, the "B" link was pressed, and up popped B's page, stating everything:

_**Name** : Beyond Birthday_

_**Wammy's Code** : B_

_**Birthday** : Uncertain…Current Age believed to be around 19_

_**Birthplace** : London, England_

_**Average GPA here at Wammy's** : High 4.0's…was in line for second to succeed L._

_**Hobbies** : Greatly into Dark Literature (i.e. Poe, Shakespeare, etc.), had few friends, but Alleck Adaniels (A) was one of them. Had a colder disposition, was quiet and kept to himself. Favorite food was jam, preferably strawberry, consumed it in great amounts. Had the highest admiration for L that I have ever seen in a man to this day; but sadly this admiration turned into obsession._

_**Incident** : Ran away from Wammy's House at the age of fifteen...devised the LABB murder cases, caused the deaths of three people, one man, two women._

_**Location** **Now** : It was presumed that B was dead, but recent events, as of just over two days ago, I have found that the man is alive. And most likely is not far from the Kanto area._

_**Known Aliases** : Rue Ryuzaki, Benedict Betouix, Biyokoi Buichi, Bantini Bemouir, and Bernard Buchwald. Other names may be out there, but these are the ones which have been found._

_**NOTICE** : We need ANYONE with information on the location of B/Beyond Birthday to contact Wammy's immediately. Any person belonging to Wammy's and is reading this, we need your assistance. Someone important is in grave danger, and unless B is found, said man will most likely die within the week. We need all the help we can get._

_-Quillish Wammy (Watari)_

"…So…what do we do?" Mello asked, turning to the other young one, and was surprised to see Near already writing down information.

"What else? We start looking up information on our own, without letting Roger know. Really, Mello…please use your head, this is a serious situation."

"…" The blonde wanted to punch the white-haired protégé so hard, the bruise would be dark enough to contrast the child's white hair and clothes; but he maintained his cool, and voiced a question that came to mind, "Wait, what? By ourselves? So…no help from Roger? And where do we start!"

"Of course not. If Roger even found out that we knew about Beyond Birthday, we would be in great trouble. We are smart enough to handle this Mihael, you better be since you are second in line, so why not try? We can gather information and then send it to Watari secretly, perhaps under Roger's name or that of another Wammy's personnel.

As for where we start….." The snow-haired child held up a list of all of B's aliases, listed in alphabetical order, "We start with these. Most likely, this man is using one of these names wherever he is; be it to buy things, rent places, etcetera. This man also might have used it to kidnap L somehow, either through deception, trickery or another condition. We can start searching the Japan area with these names."

"Y-Yeah…I knew that! But-"

" **MOOOOOO** " Again, it was another sound from Matt; Roger was nearby…again…

"Mail Jeevas, WHY are you mooing like a bovine?" Mr. Ruvie was not pleased this time, especially since many of the children were trying to study at the moment.

"…Because I'm trying out for the play Animal House?"

"…One, I believe that was not a play, but a movie, and two, said movie had no talking cows. But I shall let that slide for now; just go do some work, alright?"

"Will do, Sir!" The red-head saluted, and ran into the library, only to find Mello and Near huddled under the desk, the younger one on top of the blonde, in a position all too provocative looking, with Near's arms around Mello's waist, and the chocolate-lover's arms around Near's neck.

"Yo…you two want alone time, or what?" The gamer chuckled, with a shake of his head, causing Mello to push the youngest one of the three off of him roughly, and wipe his hands on his black pants roughly, as if he had the fear of contracting some form of Rhinovirus.

"Alright, Nancy Near, what now?" Mello spat out like venom as the albino child just shook his head sadly.

"…We shall wait until later tonight to come back. Matt, I shall need you to get a laptop and bring it to my room-"

"Hold on a sec, NEAR. This was MY plan from the very beginning. Don't start taking charge NOW, Nancy Boy." The blonde boy shot a death glare to the young Near.

"…No matter how much you despise me, Mello, we'll-"

"WHO said I DESPISE you?"

"Stop interrupting me. Anyway, we'll have to work together, correct? We should work together, it might be the only way to save L. According to that notice, we do not have much time. If we argue, L could die before we even have a chance to help him, and we do NOT want that. If that happens, Wammy's will most certainly crumble, especially since I know that you, Matt, and I are not ready to take over for him. So…." Near outstretched his hand, "Shall we make a temporary truce?"

"…FINE." Mello shook the other's hand, and all three headed out of the room….

No words spoken…

This was a silent truce…

A silent… _TEMPORARY_ …truce…

* * *

 

**Yagami Household, Raito's Room, 3:33 AM**

He would never tell anyone but…

Raito considered this nightmare…

To be the scariest yet…

Because it was the one that changed everything…and every thought that he had of everyone…

He…He had **won**.

Kira was the God of this New World; they were parading him down the Tokyo Streets, all knew of his glory. Adorned in robes all too similar to that of the Romans, and a golden and green wreath of leaves crowning his head, Raito felt like a God; by his side was Misa Amane, the second Kira, and even though he despised her greatly, she was of good use to him. On the other side of him was his family, paraded through the streets as well.

They were bowing down to him, his subjects, praising him highly, and throwing flower petals into the air, which rained down like silken snow. Women were blowing kisses at him, fawning over him, causing Misa to pout, but all that didn't matter to Raito.

The criminals were gone, there was no evil is this world. Children, women, and men could walk these streets without fear of anything. The mortality rates had skyrocketed, making for a living-longer population. There was enough money for all; there were no poorer classes now, only high class, with great amounts of money for all, along with food, clothes, homes, and material items.

Yes…this was all perfect…

The parade continued until…

" **RAITO**!" It was a scream of anguish and it caught the brunette's ears immediately. Turning his head rapidly around, looking for the source of the call, he finally found it…  
It was L…

Dressed in a blue Roman robe, he was being pulled violent by a black shadow, quickly, rapidly, into the crowds and towards a dark alley.

"L? L, no!" Raito heard himself call after the man, and rapidly, almost instinctively, he lunged from the carried hoisting him high in the procession, and broke into the run towards the raven. He pushed every person out of his way, trying to keep up a fast pace, but it was just too difficult, he was losing L…

His clothes were changing too…away from the Roman robes and sandals to his traditional button up shirt and tan slacks and dress shoes. L's own wardrobe was changing as well, and Raito noticed as he continued to run, the scene was changing as well; the crowds were slowly vanishing, fading to black as were the buildings, streets and all other items.

"D-Don't lose me, Raito, PLEASE!" L cried out, and there were tears falling down his pallid face. The black figure just let out a chuckle and continued to run, causing Raito to speed up even more.

"L, please, just, hang-!"

The young man felt himself trip onto a black surface, and instantly…

Came face to face with L's captor, who was standing not two feet away…

A devilish shaped monster, with red, piercing eyes that shone brightly like the North Star…

"W-Who are you…?"

"Hehehehe…Why, dear Raito…I'm your little, loved Raven's…

KILLER! **KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA**!"

Oh….if only Raito could tell…

That this nightmare was just beginning…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next one


	7. Chapter 7: Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day wohoooo

_Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall_

_-Measure for Measure (Act II, Scene I)_

* * *

 

And the nightmare continued…

"T-Tell me who you are! Are…are you Beyond?" Raito called out staring at the miasmic figure holding, no, clutching, L tightly, almost in a suffocating manner.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not…why do you care so much, am I not doing you a favor, Raito?"

"…" The young man stated nothing, but just continued to stare at the raven and his captor; the detective's eyes shining with worry, the murky orbs dotted with crystal tears.

"See? You cannot even think of a good answer to that…because you know that it is true." The enemy replied, and gave a small, satanical smile, a dark, ominous chuckle escaping the entity.

"N-NO! It's not! I…I deny it!"

"Ah…so…you do realize that you **love** this man here?" "Beyond", or at least Raito assumed it to be said man, violently pushed L closer to the brunette, while still holding a tight grasp upon the raven.

"?" The young man openly blinked and gasped in shock, and found himself to be at a loss for words once more.

"…You do not deny you love your precious Raven? The one that you long to hold in your arms, whisper sweet nothing upon his tiny ears? The one whom you wish to kiss romantically and have as a lover? Well…I must say Raito…you shall nevermore have those chances. L is mine now…"

"…W-What? No-"

"No, what? Certainly, you shall stop denying what your heart is calling for…? I can see it…why can't you?"

"N-No, I…I mean 'no' to…to the fact that he is yours…I won't let you take him!" The brunette hopped to his feet, and ran towards the ghostly figure and the hostage detective, but Beyond (now Raito was more certain than ever that this creature was indeed L's captor) only took a few, elegant steps back away from the man, and instantly, almost magically, the one known to few as Kira felt himself fall down to the ground with a hard thump.

"Tsk, tsk…now that is not the way to play this game. For, you see, Raito, this is all just, in a way, a twisted game. And now it is your move; for you will have to decide: Do I stay or do I go?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Certainly, you are a genius, or at least I thought you were. What I mean is-"

"What he means is", another voice pierced the darkness, "Is you're going to have to make a very important decision once you decide you want to no longer deny your feelings for this man, Raito…Sama."

A white mist had gathered up a few feet away, and out stepped…

Raito…

NO, this was not Raito…it was **Kira**. One could tell it was the maniacal killer, for the entity's hair was a bright red, matching Beyond's, and the irises of his once honey-colored eyes glowed a similar ruby hue.

"… **Kira** …"

"Very good, Raito! My, you even are intelligent when you face your own subconscious." Kira walked over to the captured L, and smirking, ran a muscular hand up the pallid man's cheek, and the raven began to shiver uncomfortably.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Raito had tried to move again, but his appendages had become unusable; so he did the next best thing: yell, and wish for the older one's safety.

"…Now, now. There is no need to be jealous, Raito. You COULD have had the chances to touch this man already…now it's Beyond's turn."

"…I'll stop you."

"KYAHAHAHAHA!" You REALLY think you can? Have you even LOOKED at your options?" The demon holding L continued his demonic laugh, the sound screeching high, a grating noise upon the Yagami boy's soul.

"…Heheheh…" Beyond finally found himself calm enough to continue his speech, "…Well, before I continue, I must ask you this Raito…do you know now that you are in love with your Raven? Whom you shall nevermore lay eyes upon?"

"…" Raito was silent for quite some time, but the other two figures did not press him for an answer…

_No…really, HE? In LOVE? It was downright preposterous…_

_He was Kira…he could not love, right?_

But…that man over there was Kira, Raito was certain of that…

So…what was he? Was he just…Raito Yagami?

…And L…

Oh, L…

The pasty man had not left his thoughts for days, ever since he had gone missing…

Even before that, L had always been in the back of his mind, his face imprinted into the genius' brain…

…Raito would never say it aloud, perhaps only to L if he ever had the chance…

But he had come to find that man to be utterly beautiful…

He was not the traditional beauty, no…but those eyes…that hair…that skin and figure…it was all just so damn attractive…

And L's mind…it was…entrancing in itself…

…Seriously, L was the only one Raito could actually academically and intelligently keep up with and vice versa…

Normally…a person only comes around like that…

Once in a lifetime…if even THAT…

…And when you meet someone like that…

You should take the chances you have, be them many or few…

To make that person your own…your partner…your…

Your lover…

…God, how long was he blind to this…this feeling!

Raito was inwardly swearing, why didn't he realize this sooner…?

L…L…L! It…that feeling…it…

It could not be anything but **love**! His "fake" compassion, his "fake" inquisitiveness…

Raito should have realized it was TOO fake…hence making it real…

It…it all made sense now…it really all did…

…But…was it too late?

"… **Yes**." The brunette answered sternly, firmly, sending a dark glare into the other two's eyes.

"Ooh…took you long enough," Beyond chirped, "But…you still do not see your options, right?"

"What options? I love him, I'll save him…I'll save him from you somehow…"

"You may have had your epiphany," Kira spoke up, "But you still don't see it? Alright, let's say, through some miracle, you are able to save him. What then? Will you continue as Kira; while still loving L?"

"…I'll work that out when the time comes?"

"Really? So…you believe that you will be able to kill him when the time comes if you are to save him? You know to continue your goal…our goal…you shall have to eventually."

"No, I won't have to. I'll find a way. Perhaps L shall-"

"Oooh…let me guess, he shall come to love you? Is that what you were about to say? Hah…once he finds out you are Kira, he shall cast you away like trash…and what then, will you kill him out of vengeance?"

"No! I'd…I would never do that! Besides, I shall have no need to. L will not find out."

"Oh, he will eventually…and you shall have to kill him. It is your destiny to be Kira, Raito Yagami…it is your destiny to be me…" Kira chuckled darkly, his red bangs of hair swinging when he shook his head pityingly.

"No! He shall not find out…and…he'll come to feel the same way. I know he will! I…I bet he cares about me, whether he suspects me of Kira or not."

"Heheheh…just keep telling yourself that, Raito…but, that is an IF situation; IF you rescue him from me," Beyond taunted, and to rub it in Raito's face even more, he gently grasped the raven's chin, and a bright pink muscle, the demon's tongue, came out to lick the older man's face; L gasped, and his lithe body began to tremble erratically, "For you shall not be able to. You will never find me, and nevermore lay those eyes of yours upon my L…"

"I shall find you, I can figure it out. Perhaps if I ask Watari-"

"Please…that old man barely trusts you. He barely let you know about ME."

"…Then I shall do it secretly, Beyond. L shall not die by your hand."

"Oh…alright, you just keep believing that. But…are you really willing to give up your "God" status for this man; you are willing to risk losing it all for Little Raven? My…that is impressive. Since you shall certainly lose it, for you will be entering yourself into a deadly game if you do so."

"I will not lose myself and my becoming-perfect utopia. I will rescue L, keep my positions, and…" Raito looked away for a mere second, "I shall come to love him even more, and I know he will come to love me."

Kira began to clap sarcastically, laughing diabolically, stating, "My, my, my…what a proclamation, Raito. I can not wait to see if it holds up. You still do not realize who the players here are, and what they are capable of. But, you won't be learning that here, nope. You'll find out on your own, Raito-Sama. And…you shall lose."

A stern expression crossed the Yagami Boy's face, and a smirk settled upon his full, pink lips, "Don't you know that I love games? And I love winning even more…I'll win. I know I will. I'll beat you at your twisted, sadistic game, and save L from you, thereby winning. So…"

" **GAME ON**!" Came the shout from all three of the men standing there, excluding the still petrified-in-fear L.

"R-Raito-kun! **Help me**!" The detective cried out, just as Beyond broke into a speedy run; Raito moved his legs in one last futile attempt; this time, they were working, and he found himself able to move once more, and he too broke into a brisk jog.

But it was a waste of "energy"…

Beyond, and Kira as well, had vanished into the thick, miasmatic air… leaving a fearful Raito alone…

Until he felt himself begin to plummet into the dark aura, dark excess of his mind; memories of his encounters with the detective flashed beside him, words, images flashing before him as he fell into an unknown abyss…

L…

L…

L!

" **L**!" The Yagami boy jolted upright with a start, his body shaking, and his brow heavily dampened with sweat. Panting harshly, the genius laid his head in his right hand tiredly, and even shook it somewhat in despondency.

He knew….he knew along that it was love…

But Raito had been just too damn stubborn to admit it…

But it wasn't too late, oh, the brunette knew that.

It was never too late. Not for Yagami Raito…

"…L…" The young man hopped out of bed, and ran to his desk, searching for a pad of paper and a pen.

In the far right corner, Ryuk the Shinigami had heard his "master" stir, and opened his yellow-black eyes.

"Ohh…wasn't that your third or fourth nightmare this week? You kept screaming 'L'…Heh…you've got quite an obsession with the guy. Hyuk hyuk hyuk…" The Death God broke out into a taunting chuckle.

"I'm not obsessed with him," Raito was still looking for the objects he desired in his desk, " **I'm in love with him**."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…" !

"…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The lanky Shinigami doubled over in laughter, "You…you said…you…AHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Shut up, Ryuk!" The young Yagami had finally found a yellow pad of notebook paper and meekly covered his flushed-red face with it in embarrassment.

"I KNEW it! I really did, Raito!" Ryuk heaved as his laughter was finally dying, "So…where does this leave Kira?"

"…This leaves Kira exactly where he was: On his way to becoming God of this world, and forming a perfect society."

"Kekeke…You know, falling in love with the enemy always turns out horribly, Raito."

"…So I have heard. But, I'll be the exception to that, Ryuk. L will fall in love with me in time, and perhaps I could convince him to either stop investigating me, or steer him away from the investigation somewhat. Or, better yet, just continue with what I am doing now, and L shall never find out it is me. I…I do…I do not think I could use him…"

The brunette stated the last statement quietly.

"Oooh…Kira is finding a heart that he tried to push aside?" The apple-lover mocked in a schoolgirl fashion.

"…"

"Well, your silence speaks volumes, Raito. But…are you sure that you won't have to kill him? What if-"

"That. Won't. Happen. I'll make sure of it." The genius spoke firmly, in an asserting tone.

"But he is your enemy, isn't he? How-"

"I'll find a way! I…" He paused in his sentence, contemplating his emotions, "I don't think I could kill him now…not after this realization…"

"I see…well, it does not matter to me if your lover-boy dies or not. But, from what I heard, your little friend is in deep trouble…so if you plan to do anything, I'd make a move about…oh, say now?"

"And that is what I plan to do, Ryuk." Raito returned to his bed gracefully, and sitting up after turning on his bedside lamp, he spent the next hours, until the sun rose high in the beautiful Japanese sky, formulating a plan, writing out ideas of how he would carry it out.

_Beyond Birthday…I shall find you…_

_And I shall find my L…_

* * *

 

**Miles Away…B's warehouse…The next morning, 10:10 AM**

He only knew it was morning because the warmth of the sun's rays were touching his pallid skin as they shone through the high hanging warehouse windows onto the pallid, naked Lawliet.

L did not bother to move though, fearing he would be struck with a hellish jolt of pain once again. So, his beaten and bruised body just laid there, staring at the far wall; his glassy midnight orbs held no emotion, not that they ever really did, but this time…L's gaze was that of a dead one; Nothing….nothing behind those pretty eyes but cold death. It was just such a pitiful sight, all of the Gods, be that if they were to exist, must have been looking down upon L Lawliet with misery, woe and pity; or perhaps the malevolent ones were gazing upon him with scorn, laughter, and no feelings of remorse for what had happened to the man.

But who could blame them, and for the matter, who could be blamed at all? Certainly not any high-powered entities. Not even any normal citizens or Watari could be at fault for this predicament.

No, only L was to blame for this, or that is what the raven believed. He had caused this, had caused Beyond's anger to rise to this extreme level, and he himself, in his own weakness and shock, had caused himself to be kidnapped so easily.

A sad ebony eye turned upwards toward the ceiling, where the Wara Ningyo were still hanging from their string nooses, or still stuck to the ceiling by sharp, rusty nails. There were still thirteen, and L's original thought of if he would become number fourteen of the dolls haunted him again.

Oh…he knew it…

The raven felt it in his bones…

His death was near…

Perhaps a few would say it was just a stupid premonition, but Lawliet knew…

He had not heard any bells…

But bells do not always have to symbolize oncoming demise, death, and disappearance from the world…

The south door banged open not a second later, and it snapped the man out of his pondering, and turned slowly to see Beyond standing in the doorway, his shirt covered in blood, a snarl upon his face.

Immediately, Lawliet wanted to ask why the copy was covered in the heart-pumping life substance, and why a crooked smile was settled upon his pallid lips; but that would be far from wise at this point, so the older one just kept silent.

"Good morning, Lawli-pop…I am sorry for my disastrous appearance, but…I had an errand or two to run, but nothing to fear about…right this second."

The second must have been spoken of in the literal sense, for the scarring smile vanished, and a disgusted expression settled upon the younger one's face; an expression of hatred, anger, and disgust all boiled and baked into one.

"It's Judgment Day, L. I hope you know that." B spat out venomously, his ruby eyes scorching into the other.

"…I figured as much." L stated monotonously, coldly, his head turning back towards the ceiling, a blank stare upon his porcelain face.

"…Oh. So you knew you were to die today? Here?" The killer actually sounded genuinely curious.

"…In a sense, yes. I believe it to be, I could sense it….and I do not plan to fight it."

"?" Beyond blinked, trying to hide the somewhat large amount of surprise he had acquired from that last statement given by the raven, "You…do not plan to fight it?"

"… **No**."

"Why?" The question came out the moment L had finished the last syllable.

"…I am dead inside, and you know it. You accomplished your goal; there is no real reason for me to live, or for you to keep me alive. And you did speak of killing me before, in certain contexts, correct? So I only find it safe to assume that my death is quite near."

"…" B thought over L's words in his head, still glaring icily at the other one.

_See…? What did I tell you…? He is ready to die, you completely broke him…_

_Duh…that was the plan, you fool…and I thought you would be silent until I initiated the killing phase of this whole plan…_

_I shall never be silent, Beyond, for I am you…I am your heart, your soul, your passion, lust, love…all which you wanted to give up years ago…though many try to, one cannot kill their heart..._

_Well, I am not most men, you idiot…I am stronger than them and I still don't believe you are a real part of me…_

_Oh, Beyond…you shall see today. But yes, our deal is still on, so I shall be silent for the time being. Prove to me, prove to yourself, that you can just kill L Lawliet without blinking an eye…I shall be watching…_

…

B went out back into the hall, but the detective paid him no heed whatsoever; coming back a moment later, pounding, angry footsteps banging on the metal flooring, Lawliet found himself pushed to the ground in what could almost be considered a fit of rage.

"Get into that damn crouch you're always in, L." Beyond spat, and when L was moving "too slow" for him, the jam-lover violently pushed the older one into the crouch; said older one did not even show a hint of pain or discomfort at the motion.

"Wait…hold on…" Beyond huffed, and went to a nearby cardboard box in the room, labeled messily "L's CRAP"; the copy pulled out a pair of jeans, a white shirt, and a pair of boxers.

"I stole these the night I took you. Dress…now…this might be more painful without clothes, and even though that might be enjoyable, it would defeat the whole purpose in my mind. Think of this as…the only break you shall receive from me."

"Whatever you want, Beyond…" The raven slid on the clothes fairly rapidly, his eyes locked onto the ground, and when his actions were completed, he hunched back into his crouch once more.

"Good…You're still obedient so that is good…" B reached down for the items that he had walked out to get, which turned out to be many tight, brown ropes, of various sizes.

In an artistic, elegant motion, the killer began tying up his hostage. Arms wrapped tightly behind his back, crossed at the wrists. Legs pulled even closer to the body by means of ropes tight enough to suck the life out of one's own body. The ropes twined around L, like snakes with deadly venom coursing through their reptilian veins, squeezing and taking away any forms of freedom.

"And…THERE! Perfect! This is called a box-tie, Lawli-pop! Do you like it?" BB looked as if he would break into the classic, yet oh too clichéd school-girl giggle.

"…I feel indifferent towards it. Why does it matter?"

"Ah, yes…of course you would feel that, would you not? Hehehe..." The killer stretched nimbly, like a gymnast, and even bent his back all the way, completing a cartwheel.

"Now..."

 **BAM** …

L found a foot colliding with his face, and he was thrown back violently, hitting the metal ground with full force.

"…" The detective blinked, and surprisingly, showed the emotion of shock upon his face, but it did nothing to distract the other man, and he sent another kick, with his opposite foot this time, L's way, and again, the man fell backwards, and even felt blood drip from his nose, which had received heavy impact.

"KYAHAHAHA! I needed a punching bag! They said I was crazy for being so violent, they called me "deranged"….Heheheh…Do YOU think I'm crazy, L! DO YOU!"

"…"

"WELL? ANSWER YOUR MASTER!"

 **SLAM** …

A heavy punch set the immobile and defenseless L a few feet away from the copy, whom broke into another demonic laugh.

"Oh, L…this is too hilarious," B tired to control himself and maintain regular breathing, "You are just letting me beat you…so you are that dead. But….you should at least have the decency to respond to my words." The younger one snorted, and walked over to the prone detective, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, "Well….I am waiting for an answer."

"…Yes, I am just letting you beat me. This…this is nothing to me. And I do not see why I should respond to you when I barely have the life to do so. It just seems to be a waste of energy to me." L stated all as a cold, monotonous reply.

"…You did NOT answer the question which I gave to you before, you little piece of filth!" Beyond snarled, and slammed a strong knee right into the middle of L's abdomen, which caused the raven to wince, but he had bitten his lip to not make a sound.

"You…are worth nothing to everyone….do you get that…?" BB whispered diabolically, his body actually trembling with delight.

"Yes." Another bored, tired, worn reply from the captive man.

"You are to die alone here…and very, very soon. Any last words? Requests? I doubt I shall give them to you…but I love to hear pleas, Lawli-pop."

"…No."

"No? None at all? Surely every dying man wishes for one thing…who are you to be any different, my dear L?"

"I have no regrets, not anymore. And I only wish for one thing…" L whispered softly, his dead gaze boring right into Beyond's.

"…Anymore…So…you have pushed these regrets aside, Lawli-Lawli? You have found them to now be…useless?" Beyond found himself actually quite curious at the other one's cryptic words.

"Yes…I have accepted my fate, so all of those regrets have dissolved away. The Kira case….Watari…my new successors…someone I knew….what I wanted to do; I now know shall never be happening."

"Oh, yes…your new successors….The blonde, the red-head, and the white-haired child. I heard about them…do not worry, I shall not touch them. They mean nothing to mean, Lawliet. Only you mean anything to me."

"I thought you said I was worth nothing to-"

"WORTH and MEAN are two different pieces of vocabulary, dear L. Now…this someone you knew…what was he to you…please, satisfy my curiosity."

"…" L was silent for many moments, and it wore upon B's patience.

"ANSWER ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! What WAS he or she to you! Did you **LOVE** him or her? TELL ME **NOW**!"

 **BANG** …

Beyond grabbed L violent, and swung him against the metal wall with a loud clang, the raven closing his eyes when the back of his head hit the surface; Lawliet wondered if he perhaps would gain a concussion from this, or would his head began to bleed…

"…No, I do not and did not love him. He was a suspect in the Kira case, and I wished in a way, he was not. I could see him as a good friend of mine if we had met in different circumstances. Besides….one cannot love someone whom wants them dead."

"…" B was actually silent, and his ruby orbs blinked at the raven's last words, something inside of him stirring.

_See? Even IF I DID love him…he cannot love me because I want him dead…!_

…

_You CAN speak if you want, I don't give a damn at the moment…_

_…I won't speak long, I shall just say this. Perhaps…if you did not want him dead, he could come to love you. But that is not going to happen is it, dear Beyond? Or…it could, if you just-_

_NOPE…it shall not be happening. Besides, I have some proving to do to you…that I hate this man more than everything else in the world…_

"…" B, still holding onto the older man, flung him against the floor violently, and placed a bare foot upon L's roped chest.

"Hmph…of course. Like I could even picture YOU loving someone…you're a shallow, selfish, cold, manipulative bastard, who has never cared about anyone but himself.

Don't you do those cases for FUN? That is what I've always heard. Someone like you could never love someone."

"…No, you're wrong, Beyond."

"…What? YOU, love someone? Impossible! Don't spew stupid lies, Lawli-pop." The killer pressed harder upon L's chest, and the raven felt the ropes tighten around his skin, and he gasped in pain.

"…It….it is not that I am in love with someone….but…I…don't find…the emotion trivial…It…might be nice…to have someone…but…that will not be happening…"

"…" Fool…you're such a pathetic liar…if you really didn't find love trivial…you would have…oh, God, I'm NOT going there…! You are going to die!

"..Well, yes, it shall not be happening L," B spoke up again, "Now, I recall you wishing for something…what was it?"

" **Death**." L softly replied, "I wish for death now, Beyond….that is all I am asking you to give me."

"…You're just giving up? Just like that, L?" The jam-devourer whispered softly, and his foot lessened its hold upon Lawliet's chest.

"Yes…you've taken everything from me. **Power** , **will** , **spirit** … _ **heart**_ ….all of it is **gone**. I feel that I have nothing left. That I am some useless being…killing me now…just like you plan to, you would…you would help us both."

"…..Fight…back…" Beyond had bent his head down, his black bangs hiding his special Eyes, "You're just giving up like that!"

"You **broke** me. What do you expect? That I was such a strong person that I could stand up to all?"

"FIGHT ME BACK YOU FOOL! BEFORE YOU ARE TO DIE, FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!" B had no clue as to why he wanted L to fight him back, make any effort to live….why was he just going to give up? Just like that, Lawliet wished to die? WHY?

 **BAM** …

A hard, rock-like punch flew right into L's face, followed by another, then another…

A rain of punches collided with the raven's porcelain face; then they began trailing down his arms, chest, legs, any place not completely blocked by the ropes that B's strong hands could get a hold of.

"FIGHT BACK, FIGHT BACK, **FIGHT BACK YOU IDIOT**!" The copy wailed, his strength giving out, and he began to pant due to his erratic breath. B finally noticed L had not given any response to the brutality; no vocal or facial expressions at all, he still had his blank stare plastered onto his face.

"How can I fight back when I am tied up, Beyond? And even if I was not…I would not be fighting back, as I just stated." That damn monotone again…

"You can at least REACT? I'm…" A hard punch was thrown right at L's eye, which was sure to leave a black shiner in later moments.

"Why bother reacting, Beyond? It is not worth it for me…" L droned out tiredly, and even though he was not showing pain, one could hear it in his voice.

"…It really isn't worth it to you? Your life…is that worthless to you?"

"…Always has been, always will be; for a time, I thought I was worth something. That I was needed in this world to do good, that I meant something to some people..."

Lawliet sighed, his eyes, his lifeless eyes, became instantly glued to B's own surprised ones, "I learned all that was false once you took me away from there, and tore me to pieces, Beyond. Perhaps it was for the best that you took me. I don't want to live in a world where I am worthless to all people, and I do believe I am. Not because you have convinced me so heartily of it, which you have, but also because I can feel it in me. L means nothing to the world; I am just a crime-solving mastermind, but I'm not a good person. People always see me as a hero, when I'm just a disgusting person, who only gets involved when a large amount of money or many killings are involved. A real hero would never act like that; he or she would act compassionate and care about others. …What am I saying? Like there are any real heroes in this world…It all does not matter anyway. I'd rather just die and leave now; the pain that you have given me was just too much, and it showed how disgusting I really am…why else would you go to such lengths to put me through Hell?"

"…"

_…He figured out that I DO hate him…see, if HE can see it, why can't you…?_

_Because he is just thinking that due to all that you did to him…who wouldn't think that…? And besides…we both know the real reason why you hurt him so deeply; yes, you were mad and you wanted revenge, but…there is another reason there to, and you know it…_

_Bull…I have no clue as to what you are talking about…_

_Not right this second, but you will shortly…I am just hoping you see it before it is too late…_

"Beyond…just do it and get it over with. You know it's for the better…"

"…" The killer just continued to stare at L; he never, in all his years on this Earth, expected L to speak so lowly of himself. The man had always been prideful, B knew that…but it was like…

When B had broken L….he had broken down L's walls as well…

Is that what B stood for…? Breaker…?

_Breaker of Bones…?_

_Breaker of People…?_

_Breaker of Wills…?_

_Breaker….of Souls and **Hearts** …?_

"…You want to die…? Hehe…Heh…KYAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! FINE!" A manic look came into Beyond's eyes and he pulled violent on L, "You'll die, then! Even though I don't want to please you in any sorts, it is comforting to know that you shall either be going to Nothingness or Hell, whichever exists, whichever, for I don't care where you go as long as it is one of those two. And you'll stay there for the rest of your days, burning or rotting, whichever is better suited for a horrid person such as yourself, L."

"…" Lawliet just nodded, and when B violently threw him across the room, his head hitting the rusty bed frame, he still remained stoic as always, his ebony orbs glued to the floor.

… **This was it** …

Judgment time…

The raven heard Beyond break out into another Satanical cackle, and looked up slowly to see the copy's own body trembling in what seemed to be ecstasy.

_Well, Lawliet…you're going to be killed by a manic killer who's obsessed with you…did you ever picture it ending up like this…? No…_

_No you didn't…But you woke up…you realized you wouldn't be worth much in this world…_

_Isn't that what that man said to you…?_

A final flashback came into the detective's mind….

* * *

 

_"Sniff... **MOMMA**!" A little tiny L cried out from that horrible man's basement. The two-timing caretaker had chained the child to the wall with a screwed in set of handcuffs, and had chained the four-year old's ankles in chains as well on this day. The tiny genius stopped keeping track of the hours and days…the suffering was too much for him and his fragile body and spirit._

_"Hehehe…" It was that laugh again, and the stomping footsteps on the stairs that followed, "Is Lawli calling for his MOMMY again? Hehehe…"_

_"P-Please…c-can't you leave me alone…?" L begged with teary eyes as the caretaker came to stand in front of him._

_"You're my little plaything now; I certainly cannot leave you alone. Besides…my little Raven would get so lonesome…And it's not like you are worth anything to anyone in this world."_

_"? H-Huh? W-What do you mean…?"_

_"No one cares about you, Little L. Your parents certainly didn't, for starters."_

_"They did too!" The child proclaimed with vigor, "My Momma 'n Papa loved me, but you had to kill them! I know it was you that did it!" Lawliet struggled, pulling on the chains, but it was futile._

_"AHAHAHA! Really, now? Well, they let you fall into my hands…I don't know that shows loving…"_

_"…T-They didn't know that that'd happen…d-don't tell me that it's their fault!"_

_"Oh, but is. See, they were too trusting. You, on the other hand, oh, I knew what you thought of me. You told them "Mommy, I don't like him", or "Daddy, I don't trust them." You were already becoming a stoic, icy boy, yet your parents, both wanting to deny any feelings of uneasiness they felt for me, and to also encourage you not to become so cold, totally went against your own thoughts. And look where it got them: They're burning in Hell, and you're my little toy…my tortured little toy. Seems like a good situation to me, but I'd come to believe you think otherwise."_

_"D-Don't talk about Mommy and Daddy like that! They're in Heaven watching me! They are!"_

"Then why don't they do something to save you? And actually, we don't know if there is a Heaven or Hell, so your parents could just be floating spirits, forever restless. Hehehe…"

_"NO! There's a Heaven! Momma told me all about it, she did!" By this time, Lawliet was in tears, and choking on his irregular breathing._

_"…You just keep on believing that, but I digress from my original point. No one on this Earth, or any other spiritual plane, gives a damn about you."_

_"NO! S-Someone does! Momma and Daddy did, and they still do, wherever they are! And-And at least person on this planet loves me! I know it! Someone has too! I mean really love me, like they'd do anything for me! That person really does love me, and he or she is out there somewhere, and I'll find them, somehow! Right after I escape from this place!" The little genius heartily proclaimed like that of a modern day Patrick Henry, and he began pulling on the chains more, hoping, just hoping, that they would break…_

_"Haha…you just keep right on believing that…Now, let's have some fun, why don't we…?"_

_"NOOO! AHHHHH!"_

_Thankfully…Little L would only have to live through another day of that Hell…_

* * *

 

…

_Someone loves you…what a load of crap…were you ever really that naïve, Lawliet…? How could you be...? It is like B said; you are not the type of person to love, so why would any person love you…?_

_And…it is not like you are going to get to find out now…_

The raven's eyes moved, and met B's once more when the copy came to stand in front of him; in his hands, two extremely sharp knives. One was thicker, and had a wooden handle with two nails protruding out of it like jagged rocks. The other was a regular sharp kitchen knife, but anyone could tell that it had been sharpened multiple times; there were even a few spots of blood on the utensil, but L let none of it bother him.

The killer swung the wooden knife, and began cutting all of the binding ropes that tied the raven down. In a matter of minutes, the pieces of rope had settled around the detective, but it would not be for long, for Beyond picked up the older man, and flung him onto the bed on his back, while at the same time, discarding the wooden knife to the ground.

"It ends here, L…" B whispered darkly as he climbed up to straddle L, knees on either side of the detective's hips. "It's been fun, but I'm afraid it has to end."

"…Yes, I understand. Go on now, I am not going to stop you."

"But of course…" Beyond gave another chuckle, and, holding the knife tightly, lowered the utensil until it was barely an inch above L's neck…

 ** _His hand stopped there_** …

_Go on…do it now! Kill him! Let his blood run forth all over this place, take his last breath away NOW!_

_I knew you could not do it…told you so…! He means more to you than you thought…!_

The knife continued to hang there, Beyond's hand shaking; all the while, B's garnet orbs stared into L's own.

_What are you waiting for…? DO IT NOW…!_

_Look, DO NOT do it…! Think about this…aw, hell, I'll just say it now, admit you are in love with him before this ends badly…! That is what A meant when he "spoke" to you…!_

_NEVER…! I'll never admit that! For it-it is-_

_A LIE…! IT IS NOT, YOU IDIOT! CAN YOU NOT SEE THAT?_

_YOU are the liar…! NOT I! NOW KILL HIM!_

_DON'T DO IT!_

_DO IT NOW, LET HIS BLOOD SPILL FORTH!_

_You **LOVE him** …! You'll only be killing yourself as well if you do this!_

_BULL SHIT! I feel nothing!_

_THEN WHY DON'T YOU KILL HIM? PROVE IT!_

"Beyond…why are you hesitating?" L softly called out, his dead gazing finally changing, into one that was hard and cold, "Just do it already."

"…Nngh…Hm…" B's whole body was shaking like fall leaves, the hand holding the knife mere centimeters above L's pallid neck shaking the most.

"Beyond….do it already, kill me!" L's tone went from cold to demanding in seconds, and he glared at the killer, whom had bent his head to hide his eyes again.

"Nng…Lawli-pop…" Beyond whispered quietly, the words barely reaching the raven's ears.

_DO IT NOW! WHY ARE YOU HESITATING? You came THIS far! Do NOT throw it all away now, you idiot!_

_THINK about what you are doing, BEYOND! PLEASE!_

"Beyond, **PLEASE**! Kill me now! Stop hesitating!" L bellowed, tears dotting his eyes, "Just end this now!"

_BEYOND!_

_BEYOND!_

" **BEYOND**!"

" **AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**!" A heart-aching wail escaped Beyond's lips, and the hand holding the knife to L's throat swung upwards…

And in seconds, threw the knife to the eastern metal wall, the knife sticking into a crack in the wall.

Lawliet gasped, his eyes wide as saucers, his jaw slack as he eyed the knife bouncing up and down due to the friction of being thrown so hard.

"B-Beyond…why…why didn't you do it!" L lifted up somewhat, to try to lock eyes with the copy, whose head was still bent down, and soft mewls and whines were escaping his pale lips.

"Nngh…Lawli…I…"

"Tell me! Why didn't you do it? Why could you not kill ME!"

"Because…I…" B trailed off, his entire frame trembling.

"Because **WHY**?"

"BECAUSE _**I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU**_ , YOU DAMN IDIOT! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" B screamed at the top of his lungs, the shout ending with another piercing wail.

When the sounds died down, the jam-lover's eyes closed, and his whole body went still, collapsing onto L's with a soft thump a moment later.

_What…what did he say…!_

The raven checked B's pulse to find it softly beating; the younger one had just fallen into unconsciousness, most likely due to the shock of what he said, and the past few days' events catching up to him.

L sighed, still stunned at what the other man had shouted, but laid back down.

_This…is just too…odd…_

L realized he COULD have run, right then. Run right off, and try to find his way back home. He was not chained, now was his chance, yes?

…But he didn't.

For some reason…something was telling him to stay. Perhaps it was that B could come after him, and THEN kill him. Or maybe it was the fact that he had no idea where in the world he was? Or…

Maybe B's confession was the real reason…

If L left now, who knows what would happen to the man…? He could…

L could hurt him again…except this time the hurt would be ten, no, a hundred, time greater…

So that was why L took the fallen B into his arms more, gently holding him. The younger one's breathing was calm, as if he was asleep, and Lawliet ran a hand through the midnight locks of his copy.

Now…

_There is no going back Lawliet…_

_No going back at all…_

It was going to be a long day and night…and if only L could read minds….

Lawli-pop…I'm sorry…

 _ **I'm so sorry**_ …

Those had been the last thoughts floating through the killer's mind, as his body sank into a deep slumber….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know i said this a lot but i will TRY to update the next one friday or saturday night....
> 
> Please tell me in the comments if youre enjoying the story, reviews make my day.
> 
> See you on the weekend.


	8. Chapter 8: Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internet and power in my country SUCKS....
> 
> Im serious guys, its horrible and since i have to update on the desk computer its worse....
> 
> Try to guess where im from, ill leave that little homework, guess right and i will have a little sneak peek sent to you
> 
> Enjoy the chapter..

_The better part of valour is discretion_

_\- King Henry IV, Act V, Scene IV_

* * *

 

**Beyond's Warehouse, Around 3:30 PM**

All he could feel was warmth, lovely comforting warmth enveloping him.

Beyond Birthday was not one to experience warmth in his life; it was a rare occurrence for him in multiple ways. Being alone all the time for the majority of his life had left the man with a frozen heart, never feeling any emotion for others other than…well, mostly neutrality or hatred. Either of the two, or sometimes both; or sometimes it was mainly hatred for all, all of mankind.

And in the literal sense, B felt little warmth, as in heat. The killer had a preference for colder places, mainly due to his personality; and after nearly burning himself to death with the _Los Angeles BB Murder Cases_ , Beyond tried to stay away from fires, furnaces, and other sources of heat that did not involve blankets or quilts.

But this heat…it was full of…of…

Compassion…kindness…

It just felt so damn good…

BB kept his eyes closed, but he scooted closer to the heat; he wanted to feel more of it, he wanted more of it to encompass his body. It was so relaxing, Beyond did not remember the last time he had been this relaxed and calm, it must have been years. And whatever he was lying on was soft, like cotton and denim. Perhaps he had fallen onto another pile of his clothes? No, impossible; his clothes were never this soft and, he took a small sniff, they never smelled this nice.

The copy began to emit a soft, feline purr of bliss; he just felt so happy, and he had no clue as to why. Wherever he was lying, the heat and softness made him a content man.

Moving his body up even further, another sensation began to tickle his skin as he lowered his head once more. Another soft surface, smooth, with tiny hairs; the man knew he had settled into some type of…well, he could not discern the exact shape, but it almost felt like…

A crook…as in…the crook of one's neck…

"…"

B breathed in the scent of whatever his head was lying near or upon, which turned out to reveal a musky scent, very masculine, but he could detect hints of blood, sweat, and….

_Candy? Strawberries...Coffee and Cake…?_

Beyond slowly opened his ruby orbs to find out that he was facing a pale neck, hence the scents he had smelled, and when the copy slowly lifted his head, he was shocked to find he was in L Lawliet's bony arms, whom himself was sleeping peacefully, a content expression upon his porcelain face, his breathing even.

The jam-lover sat up a little, moving slowly as to not disturb the sleeping raven underneath him, whose arms were still laced around the copy's waist somewhat tightly, as if they were afraid to let go.

_Lawli-pop…_

_Why…? Why are you…holding me like this…?_

_I…I don't get it…why…?_

B just stared at the sleeping beauty's face, his bright ruby orbs slowly tracing over L's face, his mind trying to memorize the detective's peaceful expression, trying to commit it to memory; it was such a lovely sight, in Beyond's mind it was. He had seen Lawliet show many emotions over the past few days: Anger, sad, fright, terror…hollowness. Emptiness…but never peace. And here, right before him, was the emotion peace plastered all over L Lawliet's face, frame and inner soul.

"…" Beyond let out a tiny sigh, and a soft shake of his head, the killer's ebony locks sashaying around his thinly framed face; the man sat silently, staring at the sleeping one, finally letting out a whisper, "When did this happen, L?"

When DID this happen? This…this was NOT what had been planned for weeks, months…years. NOT at all…

So when did Beyond find himself to have…romantic inclinations towards Lawliet? When?

_Idiot…You were such an idiot, Beyond…you have been denying for all too long…_

_A was right…But you stupid idiot, you had to be in denial for years. Which is downright sad on your part, Beyond…I wonder if…If this all started when you first saw him…I mean, when I did, I…I couldn't take my eyes off of him…Heh…I sound like a stupid schoolgirl…but does that make this true? Is this…l-love? HOW could I know anyway…? I…I never felt it before. D-Don't you have to feel it before to know it…? I…I never have, so doesn't that...make this a lie?_

_…B-But that doesn't make sense…dammit, why doesn't this make sense…? Those stupid poets…they're always saying love doesn't make sense…wait, so if it DOESN'T make sense, it is love, which make sense…? Ah…Beyond, you are talking in circles…is that not a symptom of this emotion…? Babbling like an idiot…? A quite large physical attraction…? Wanting…closeness…?_

_…But those are all "symptoms" of obsession too…which is what everyone accused me of having. …So what is it…?_

_Obsession…love…or both…?_

…

_…I've heard people say that jealousy is the purest form of love…but I think it could be obsession. One constantly thinks of another person, sees them imprinted into their mind, physically, mentally, emotionally…you want to own that person. And didn't those damn poets say that love is, in a way, owning a person…?_  
…I have no idea as to what I am doing…great.

_…But…_

_I think I'm in love with you, L…_

_…Think…can I say "think"…? Really, now, you shouted out "Because I AM in love with you." …If you had said, "I think I am in love with you", along with saying it in a question or normal tone…perhaps you could justify it and say that you THINK you are in love with this man…_

_But that is not what you said; Beyond…You clearly stated you were in love with this man…_

_No sane person who is NOT in love shouts that at any person…especially one they are about to kill…_

_So…is that a yes…? AM I in love with him…?_

_…Scarily…_

_I might just have to say yes…_

_…Yes…that is a yes…_

"…God, L…what did you do to me, you crazy, sweet-obsessed insomniac…? Heh…" Beyond let a gentle, teasing smirk grace his lips, and the killer even brushed some of L's bangs away from his forehead.

"Mmm…Really, now…I did something…?" Lawliet whispered as he began to stir, his midnight gems opening slowly, his normally hunched back stretching as he sat up sluggishly, coming face to face with his captor.

"…"

"…" Both men just stared at each other; the silent was far from comforting. After last night's events…it was clearly seen that neither knew how to proceed.

"Uh…Hi, L?"

"…Hello."

HI…? HI…? YOU…YOU IDIOT…! First somewhat quiet moment between you two and all you can say is hi…? Ah…

_…I'm still sounding like an idiot…dammit; I think that those poets were right…_

"…So…" B internally swore, this whole " _civil harmony around L due to romantic feelings for said man_ " plan, in least in B's mind that is what it could be summed up as, was not off to a fair start.

"…So…?" L drawled out tiredly, in his traditional bored monotone.

"Uh…well…how are you?" BB asked, an actually genuine smile graced his lips and fragile china-esque face.

"…If I may say so…what kind of question is that?"

"…Well…I…I want to know how you're feeling…?"

"…" L just stared at B in pure disbelief. The serial killer, who had repeatedly raped, tortured, and humiliated him, was asking if he was alright?

_…Now, what was wrong with that picture…or statement in this case?_

_It was like a twisted form of "Where's Waldo?" but in this case it was "Where the Hell was Beyond Birthday Going with This Statement, and Can It Cause My Untimely Demise?" …_

"…Why would you care to know if I was well or ill, Beyond?" L questioned logically, feeling he needed to get to the bottom of this.

"I think you know why, Lawli…you, uh, you remember what I said earlier, right?"

"Yes, I do…" Lawliet trailed off, his suspicion of the other rising to immense heights.

"…And…?" Beyond did not want to voice the question of asking Lawliet for his opinion, instead he tried to coax it out of the other like a patient mother to a secretly naughty child.

…Which was about as effective as wiping up the Great Flood's mess with a piece of paper towel. A piece of paper towel….

"And…what?"

B would have slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, but that would have made him look like a bigger idiot than he was already feeling.

"…And…well, what is your educated opinion on it?"

"…" The detective just blinked, huffing out a breath a mere moment later, "Well…I am in disbelief, a shock of pure stupor, and in a way, I find it greatly hard to believe you, Beyond. Moreover…if you expect this little statement to change my outlook of wishing for myself to be alive at this point and time, you are sadly mistaken."

"…Y-You still wish to die?" BB was in shock; would not a confession of love have some, any, effect on the person it had been stated to, perhaps changing their outlook on life even if it was only a miniscule sense?

"In a way….I suppose." L cast his glance down unto the floor, "In a way…this…"revelation" can change things greatly in our situation, or it could not. …In part, sadly, yet understandable, I still feel…"

"…Broken…" Beyond whispered, mostly to himself, and the other had caught it, for Lawliet gave a small nod of his head.

"Yes…Beyond, just saying what you said last night cannot completely change everything, for I don't know your motives behind it, and-"

"And you do not believe me, is that it!" The jam-lover felt immense….

Hurt…

Yes, this was hurt…could L not see that he meant it…?

_…This was bad, very, very bad indeed…_

_…No wonder…of course he would not believe me…look at what I did to him…_

_Hell, even I don't believe this…but what else could this be…?_

_…I remember once, teasingly, A told me…_

* * *

 

_"You silly, you're in love with L! You're in love with L! Hehe…when's the wedding B? Hehe…"_

_I remember…I replied with, "H-HUH? EWWW…A, I'm only ELEVEN. That's like…way, way, bad…he's like an adult, right, and so we couldn't do anything...I mean we wouldn't do anything even if I wanted to!"_

* * *

 

_Heh…that was an interesting day…for the rest of the day, he teased me about that, especially the faint blush on my cheeks that I know I had…_

_…Maybe that best friend of mine knew what he was talking about…_

"Beyond, **HOW** can I believe you? Look at what you have done to me! Would you believe me if the roles were reversed?"

"I would believe you, because you're L! Why WOULDN'T I believe you?" B was trying not to fly into hysterics, his self-control was about to slip, he just knew it.

"Beyond, what would happen if I had raped and tortured you? Stolen **YOUR** precious soul, and shattered it! Would you be so willing to just go along with everything I said?"

"…" The killer hung his head, making sure his bangs would hide his garnet orbs, which had begun to shine with raindrops of tears.

All of L's words felt like stabs to the heart, which was another feeling Beyond Birthday was far from used to.

"…Look, Beyond, I-"

"Just shut up, L…I'll…I'll make you see that this…i-is…r-real!"

"…" Lawliet just gasped when BB lifted his head, the younger one's beautiful eyes brimmed with tears and sadness; it made the detective quite uncomfortable, especially when the killer began to hiccup sobs, and his ruby gems came to rest just perhaps a foot above L's head.

"Beyond…I…"

" **You'll SEE** , Lawli-pop! You'll see the reason why I couldn't kill you; what I've been denying since I was eleven! **I'm in love with you, you fool** , and you may not believe me now, but you'll SEE SOON! Even I don't really believe it, but what else could this be?"

The killer jumped off of the other rapidly, running to the northern door, flinging it open, and closing it with a hard slam.

"…" Beyond began to pant hard breathes, leaning against the doorframe; he did not even feel the two tears that had sprung from his eyes that had widen and were completely focused on the ceiling, nothing.

"…Why…? Dammit, why did this have to happen? I'm…feeling more pain now that I did before…"

B slumped to the ground, burying his head in his knees, a soft whine emitting from his vocal chords.

"…Why couldn't I just kill him…?"

Oh…Beyond knew that all too well; that is what he had been staring at the moments before he had run from the room….

L Lawliet's life span.

I saw the numbers…the days…the months…the hours and minutes…and it seems…

L is to **die** …

On _**November 5th, 2004**_ …at, though I could not exactly get all the correct hours due to my running out of there quickly…it looked to be approximately **_eight-forty-five PM_**.

…

_So that was the reason I could not kill him, and why he was not to die:_

_Because I was to fall in love with him._

_What an ironic, sad piece of twisted fate._

It was true; but sadly Beyond had not seen the truth, not until it was too late…

For Beyond could not kill someone before it was destined on their lifespan…

He remembered months ago, when he had encountered the woman known as Naomi Misora. The ex-FBI agent had been attacked by the killer in the alleyway, and even though Beyond had not tried to fatally attack her, he realized it would have been useless anyway.

He could only kill someone when it was at their appropriate time to die; or, in other words, when that counter above their head was nearing zero, when at the time of B's attack, that was to be fatal, it would be zero, thereby ending their pretty little life.

That meant he had the option of killing them, when it was fate for them to die by his hand; accidents, homicide (which was Beyond's traditional method of extermination), suicide, and other forms of ending one's life also made that counter end at zero, and Fate again played her hand here The copy had also experimented, and had found out he could change one's lifespan so he could kill them, such as sending them a note telling him or her to meet another person at a certain spot, then strike the fateful blow.

Other than that, it seemed Beyond Birthday could only do so much when it came to intruding on the laws of life; unless it was fated for him to do so, like it was for Backyard Bottomslash, Quarter Queen, and Believe Bridesmaid. Although, one could also say that perhaps it had not been the victims' fates to be killed by Beyond Birthday, for they could have most certainly died in other ways, and in all actuality, that was a high possibility; for their counters had been nearing zero when BB had come into the picture.

_…But what did all this mean now?_

It still meant Beyond had no idea of what to do in this precarious situation. There were just no visible options at this time…

_I…I still cannot believe this. No, what if…what if I am wrong…? What if…this is not what I think it is…?_

"Oh, it is. Trust me, it IS."

B picked up his head when he heard a soft voice, like one of a child, speak up softly, an angelic voice reaching his ears.

"…No...You…"

It was a child, indeed…

It was a miniature Beyond Birthday…huddled up in a crouch like the adult version was in at that same exact moment. A black shirt adorned the younger B, along with jam-stained jeans, ruffled midnight locks, and beautiful shining red eyes.

"Yeah…it's real, Beyond. You should have a little more faith in your own opinions."

"…Who are you?" The older one of the duo asked, the older teenage killer's eyes alight with trepidation and worry.

"You…your inner childhood; your inner child self and childish and pure heart, that's what I am. I'm not really real, per se…but in a way, I am. I'm a figment of your subconscious that has come to life before your eyes to get a point across."

"…My previous hallucinations never sounded so…sophisticated." Beyond remarked, causing his child self to shake his tiny head.

"Nah, they just have not spoken to you like I do; they don't have really any other purpose other than to warp your mind, confuse you, and make you do things that normally you would not want to do, right? Anyway, that's not why I'm here; I'm here for better reasons: One if which is to tell you-"

"Let me guess, you are going to speak to me about L?"

"Heh…yeah, but who else would we talk about, right? I mean, he's all you ever think about…and I mean always. Ever since you came to Wammy's, that guy never left your little brain."

"…Perhaps…" B bent his head down to hide a tiny, fragile blush, "But that could be a sign of obsession, right?"

"Eh…Love and obsession aren't really that too far apart on the "love spectrum". It really depends on how you use your obsession and obsessive tendencies. If one uses their obsessive ways in a traditionally "good" way, they'll most likely end up with the person they are obsessing over, and there will be love, bliss, yada yada, that stuff. But…"

"But if a person doesn't use it in the good ways…they don't get the love they seek, right?" The jam-lover sighed, but that in turn caused the child apparition to scoff.

"Nah…remember, I said "traditionally" good way. Maybe your unorthodox methods seemed, and probably were, harmful, but on the bright side, you realized your mistakes, faults, and issues. You see…you wanted revenge, and perhaps you deserved some of it; hey, if anyone had been in your position, I'm sure they would want revenge too. But maybe you did not go about it the correct way? In any case, you cannot go back now, right? And why would you?"

"…I would not be hurting if I had just…not kidnapped him in the first place."

"…Hmm…no, I do not believe that; for if you had not taken your idol hostage, you would not have discovered many things."

"…I discovered things…?" The jam-devourer was hesitant to say he had "discovered" anything, or multiple things for that matter.

All he knew was that he had discovered that he was, more than likely, though he would not say one-hundred percent, that he was in love with L.

_…What a freaking wonderful discovery._

"Well, you discovered, first off, that L Lawliet is human, and not some robot-like machine. He's got a heart, feelings, and can be easily broken. And I don't think it needs to be said that is was found out that you, Beyond Birthday, are in love with L Lawliet. But…you discovered something else."

"Ch…yeah, what would that be?"

"L cares about you." The child apparition reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a tiny jar of strawberry jam, twisting the top off roughly, and flinging it to the wall, where it went through the metal surface, disappearing.

"…I do not follow."

"Uh, you realize that you didn't chain him up earlier, right? He could have run off without you knowing. Though, if he would have found his way out, that is the question, but I'm guessing he would have; he is fairly intelligent, you know. But…do you even question why he did not run off? He could have fled, leaving you to wallow in your misery, could he not have?"

"…H-He probably was just scared that I would come after him once I regained consciousness. L is not that deep enough of a thinker to even comprehend-"

"Ah, but we just established that he is human, and therefore has feelings; feelings connected to thinking deeply, right? So why do you so heartily deny that he did not comprehend that?"

"…" It irked B greatly to know that he was, in a sad, pitying way, he was being outsmarted…by a child…himself as a child…and a child that was just here as a figment of his imagination.

"You cannot forever use silence as a way to deny when one person is right about something, Beyond. You did that at my age, and you continue to do it. That is the correct way to go about things, you know. It just isn't."

"…You would deny this too if you were in my position, kid." The killer snorted, shaking his head, and buried it in his knees, hoping, just hoping and praying, it would block out the sight of the child in front of him.

"Are you kidding? I've denied it for years….you denied it for years. A knew what he was speaking of all those years ago, you know." The miniature Beyond began sloppily eating the jam from the jar in his lithe, pale hands.

"No, that is impossible. A child at that age cannot love a teenager of sixteen. It's just not humanly possible." The older one stated quietly, his voice muffled by the denim near his pallid lips.

"Who says it is?"

"…" B lifted his head once again to look at the figment of his imagination, "What…?"

"Who says it is not humanly possible? Did your parents? Family? Friends? Or let's even go farther than that: How about Quillish? Did he say so? Or other adults? Politicians, teachers, scientists? God? The Bible? Beyond, I recall no one stating such nonsense."

"…" The ruby eyes of the adult crouched in the hallway once more ventured to the floor.

"Love…it has no boundaries; it-"

"How the hell would you know? You're me, so how do you know that? I've never experience love before!"

"Oh, but you have." Slurping sounds echoed in B's ears as his child-self began licking up the food greedily.

"!"

"Don't give me that look, you've experienced love. Saying you haven't is bull. Quillish Wammy loved you, and I'm sure he still does deep down."

"That man is a twisted psychopath. Picking up kids from all around the world, training them to be the next L; do you really think that is right?"

"Mmm…you mean he picks up ORPHANS with nowhere left to turn, gives them a good home, and tries to get them into the top of society by using their intellect. He does that; and if you were smart enough to notice, he doesn't get disappointed when one of them does not become L. Many of them go into law, medical, science, or art fields, and become high members of society."

"…Fine. Alright, maybe he cared a little…."

"Oh, he did. You have to give him a break, he tried. He could not predict what would happen to you or Alleck and deep down, you know that Beyond. He wanted the best for you, and I bet he regrets what happened to you."

"…Perhaps…He was surprised to see me that day I took L hostage. And…I noticed his death date…" B trailed off, remembering what he saw, and it puzzled him….

**_November 5, 2004…_ **

_The same as L's…only a few minutes before his…_

_I wonder…_

_Could L…could…Could it be-?_

"Anyway, there's also A. A loved you, you were his best friend, and friendship is a form of love."

"Hmph. If he really "loved" me, he would not have left; he wouldn't have stupidly killed himself."

"…" The child sighed, shaking his head, "Maybe…but A saw no other way out, he was under too much pressure-"

"Which was L's fault," B spat vehemently, "That was Lawliet's fault, and there's no other way around that."

"Of course L is to blame for part of that; but A could have handled the situation a wee bit better, or maybe again, he could not have. Perhaps that was to be Alleck's fate. But yes, that was L's mistake; his lone mistake."

"No, the bastard made others, especially with me."

"Oh, you mean when he called you 'Backup'?"

"…Yeah…" B whispered softly, a shining look of hurt coming to light in his eyes.

"Mm…yes, that did hurt. And it hurt because you were in love with him at the time. It was like the one man, the one man you want more than anyone else in the world to love and cherish you, forgot your name. It hurt did it not? It hurt like Hell."

"…" The killer just gave a soft nod, his ruby gems glued to the floor.

"…But the guy does care about you. He's repeatedly tried to apologize, and-"

"AND I ACCPETED HIS APOLOGY…!" Beyond gasped, and covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes wide as the full moon, shocked at what he had just subconsciously blurted out.

"…Of course you do. Or did…or both. You did a long time ago; you've been just too damn stubborn, and too consumed by hatred and revenge to see it."

"….I…I accepted his apology…I did, didn't I…?" B felt his eyes becoming wet with the sad revelation. "A-After…after that first night…"

* * *

 

_"S-Stop this…Beyond…we can…w-work-"_

_"If you are about to say we can work this out, you are wrong, Lawli."_

_"B-Beyond! **Stop**! Get out!"_

_"Is Lawli…not enjoying this? He…isn't turned on either…how sad…"_

_"Y-You're raping m-me…and you…expect me…to be turned…on?"_

_" **I hate you now** …"_

* * *

 

"T-That…that first night…he wanted to talk it out…" Beyond's body began to tremble, a single tear starting the storm of many that were to come; for he was finally seeing in his mind the whole, terrible emphasis of what he had done to L….

He had literally destroyed L Lawliet…

* * *

 

_"Beyond…s-stop…"_

* * *

 

L had begged him to stop….to just stop and think…

* * *

 

_"So pretty…let's get rid of some of its purity, Lawli…"_

* * *

 

And the killer had not listened…

* * *

 

_"… **I can see it** in your eyes, B…you blame me…and…You…think…I never…cared about you…You may be Beyond, and I still may be a cold person, but I can read you, Beyond…"_

_"Y…You do, though. I can see the sadness in your eyes Beyond…"_

* * *

 

And L had seen it…he had finally seen how he had hurt Beyond…

After all this time…

But…

* * *

 

_"Shut up, L! I…I don't know what you're talking about!"_

_"You didn't even shed any tears at his funeral! But here you are, shedding tears for your pathetic self! That's all you care about, yourself!"_

* * *

 

Beyond ignored all…

The man blinded himself to L's apology, be it somewhat subtle, but it was still noticeable by all that had SOME common sense…

…So did that make B an idiot? Because…he…could not see it?

* * *

 

_" **NEVER** question me, you lying piece of slime!"_

_"Pfft…you're supposed to open it, L. How **dumb** are you?"_

_"SAY it L! Let me here you say it! Say **I OWN YOU**!"_

_"Fine, you choose to not obey, **I'll MAKE you** obey."_

* * *

 

...Maybe he was…

When B pondered all that had happened…

* * *

 

_"My, you are **broken** , aren't you? How sweet. I never knew how easily it would actually be._

_"You…are worth **nothing** to everyone…do you get that…?"_

* * *

 

…

Yes…Beyond…

He realized that he had been such a fool…

…

_This…wasn't what I wanted…not in the very beginning, it wasn't…_

The tears started falling faster…

_I-I wanted your love…I really did…Was I really that blind this whole time…?_

_I wanted affection…I figured you could give it to me…_

_And when you turned out to be cold…heartless, oh, but I know you are not really heartless L…I know that…but…when I believed that early on…_

_Instead of trying to get you to open up…I turned my back on you…_

A soft wail, barely above the softest decibel level, echoed from Beyond…

_I blamed you for A's death…I thought you hated me…despised me…that you only though I was just "Backup"…_

_But you didn't do any of that…_

_Okay…maybe A's death was partially your fault…but…not greatly! N-No one was to blame for that…it was fate…the numbers said so…_

_…But…everything else…_

_You did not hate me…you were just cold…like ice…You didn't know how to show any emotion…and I guess that is all you knew what to do…_

_… **Oh God** …_

_…Maybe you made mistakes…but so did I…_

_But I made bigger ones…_

BB's lithe frame continued to shake gently, the young man biting his lip to stop another whine from flowing from his thin lips.

_…Ones that are not easily forgiven…_

_You…you can apologize for yours…_

_But how can I…?_

_What I did to you…You'll never forgive me, Lawli…! How can you? WHY would you…!_

_**God** …_

_What have I done…?_

**_What HAVE I DONE…?_ **

_I'm in love with a man whom cannot love me back because of what I did! Is this some punishment…? Is this because of my previous deeds, my terrible sins in the past? WHY?_

…

The killer could not hold it in anymore, and completely laid his head back against the metal wall, letting the tears come out completely free, allowing the soft sobs and wails to be released without restraint.

The man could not hold back anymore…

Was this a sign that he was becoming more human? Was it?

"…" Beyond hiccupped another cry, "Lawli…I'm sorry…But…that doesn't matter, now does it…?"

"…You're just gonna give up? Just like that?" The miniature Beyond apparition was still there, staring sternly at his real, older counterpart. "You are just going to throw in the towel?"

"T-Then tell…tell me what I can do! I'm lost, scared and…and I don't know what to do. I do not think I can fix this…"

"You do not think you can fix this…you do not know for sure, though. And…sorry, I can't tell you anything."

The ghost of Beyond's childhood stood up, and started strolling towards a door at the end of the corridor, whistling a small tune as his bare feet began to make him take his leave, the jam jar he had somehow obtained still in his hands.

"W-What? P-Please…you have to tell me something!" Beyond begged the hallucination; he knew it was not real, but what else could he do? The man felt desperate, and he needed some, any help!

"…Nope. Sorry. You have to figure this one out on your own. And really, since I'm all in your head, in essence you…I really do not have any idea where you can go from here, since you don't."

"…So…it is hopeless." B whispered, sighing despondently, shaking his head mournfully.

"Nah…I don't think it is." The child turned back towards B, a small smile upon his jam-stained lips. "Just think a little…have a little faith…and this might turn out all right. But I'll say this: Don't' be afraid to make mistakes…and don't pressure him to love you. Then you will lose him forever."

"…I feel like I have already lost him though. I cannot even get him to look at me without any hatred in his eyes."

"Yeah, you are going to feel like that…but…you can't lose hope. I know you…we…we're not a hopeful person, are we? We're not. But…for once in your life Beyond…just have a little. You might get something out of this other than L's hatred. You might get his love."

"…" The older man stared silently at the ground; contemplating, and whispered "Can't you even grasp what I DID to him?"

"Uh, yeah, I can…but you are human, you know." The child let out a small giggle, a cute laugh that was quite charming, "You can make mistakes…and least you regret yours, lots of people don't. And it ends up killing them in the end."

"…" BB nodded, and he looked up just to see the "other B" vanish as it went through the door, jam jar and all, the hallucination gone; for now at least.

…Perhaps Beyond was crazy; not just for having talking, intelligent hallucinations…

But also because he wanted to see this through the end…

He did not plan to let L go just yet, in all senses of the word.

Maybe it was stupid, maybe it was very foolish, and maybe it would end up with his heart being broken…

But right now…All of that did not matter to the wielder of the Eyes.

Beyond Birthday wanted to give this one last chance, give himself one last chance…

It would not matter later on if he felt stupid for trying this now, if he felt foolish as well…

Not if L Lawliet would forgive him…

Not if L Lawliet could give Beyond the chance of a lifetime and more…

_L…_

_I…I am not ending this whole situation like this…_

_I need… **faith** …_

_Heh…Faith._

_Something I was never taught to have…_

But I guess I have to have it now…

_**Love…and Faith…** _

_I was never taught to have both…never believed in having both…_

_But now I do…and I must have both…_

_If I ever want to find happiness again…_

* * *

 

To say that L Lawliet was shocked when into his vision came the sobbing Beyond Birthday, astride him shouting that L would "see", would be a gigantic understatement.

Now, if one was to say L Lawliet was shocked, stunned, speechless, disbelieving, in a stupor, and downright confused…well, that would be closer to the ball park.

 

For an uncertain amount of time, the detective just sat there, staring at the door from which B had left in a hurry, nearly breaking down into sorrowful tears.

All the while, the raven just sat into his traditional crouch, contemplating this now-pressing situation….

_Was this…real?_

That was the main question in L's mind; he had doubts before, and would not be hesitant to say that he had truly believed that.

For if many others had been in Lawliet's position, they most likely would have stated the same, yes? It would be all too common to do so, correct?

Beyond had shouted out words all too…well…important in L's opinion.

That was not saying that L thought love was important, though; he had really never believed it to be so, but perhaps, the man would sometimes say to himself, if he ever did find love, perhaps it could and would be important to him. But it was all a matter of L's situation, time, and the other person, of course.

No, that statement was saying that B's statement had been important not because he had proclaimed to L that he loved him, but moreover that he had proclaimed that at all.

In other words, what was B getting out of saying that? Was it just a game to him? A playful encounter? Was he just doing this to get L infatuated, and then Beyond would truly strike the final and faithful blow?

…

Or was Lawliet completely off, and Beyond was actually truly in love with him…?

"…" The detective let out a languid sigh, shaking his head; not a moment later did he begin to hear heart-wrenching sobs from outside the gigantic room; it could be no one else but BB.

"…What are you thinking, Beyond…?" L whispered softly, biting his lip as B let out another tearful cry. "I bet you did not plan for this…and now you're scared…

The man was crying…

He was damn well **CRYING** …Beyond, someone who looked like he could never cry was doing just that.

…

If this was not real…then L…L did not know what was.

Though, he was still hesitant to believe that…

The thought of Beyond being in love with him scared him…

L was not one for love, that's not what L stood for.

And…who knows what it could mean for Lawliet…and…

Right now…

L knew he was **NOT** in love with Beyond…

It was just impossible, right…? He should not even like Beyond at this moment…

… **But** he did…

… **I do like him**.

_I shall not deny that…_

_Deep down, he really is a good person…_

_He's just…a little lost…a little scared…_

_A little in **love** …?_

…

_What shall happen now…?_

_I…I do not want to say that I do not love him, and that that will not change...but I do not know why. Should I not just push him away now…?_

_….And why am I even debating this…? Isn't this supposed to be preposterous…?_

_…I…am so confused…_

There was no other way to word it; Lawliet was confused, and unsure of where to go from here. Where could one go from here?

L had a somewhat small plethora of options: **One** , stay here, don't fight Beyond's advances (that is, if he continued to make them) and result in either his doom…or him falling for Beyond. Or not; he might still be kept alive even if he did reject BB…but that did seem very unlikely to him. Or **two** , Lawliet could just try to flee, thereby enraging Beyond (and possibly breaking the killer's heart?) and most likely putting his life on the line once again. One could only wonder what BB would actually do to him, especially if….the man was truly falling for L.

"…" L sighed again, which the raven found to be becoming quite a common hobby for him, and lied back down upon the filthy mattress, staring at the ceiling once more, and the hanging and nailed Wara Ningyo. Lawliet never knew why B liked those straw dolls so much, as well as why the copy was so attracted to jam; perhaps both were just quirks of Beyond Birthday?

Quirks…Odd quirks for a grown man…

When the raven found himself **smiling** at the thought, more confusion began to blossom. Why should he even smile while thinking of the one whom broke him? Who tortured him maliciously? Who tore him down to great depths? Who…took his " **purity** "…his…virginity…? There…it just made no sense!

_…Perhaps it is not supposed to make sense…_

_IT…usually does not make sense…but…this CAN'T be IT…_

_It just…cannot be-_

The older one did not have time to complete the thought, for at that moment, the door that B had stormed out of creaked openly cautiously, the younger one of the duo occupying the warehouse standing there, his head down, midnight bangs hiding his ruby gems of eyes.

"…I want to take a walk…." The killer mumbled, stepping closer to L, still keeping his head down; the man's voice was barely a whisper, and it sounded strained and worn.

"With myself?"

"…Yeah, Lawli…" Beyond reached L's side, and dug into the pocket of his jeans; instantly he pulled out a pair of handcuffs, with a chain stretching a good amount of feet, L mentally guessed perhaps two or three. "Sorry, L…but…I…well, you know."

"…Yes, I understand. You don't want me to leave yet." Lawliet slowly slid off the side of the bed, making sure not to disturb any of his still-hurting-and-recovering wounds, coming to stand mutely next to Beyond.

"Yeah…"

**_I don't want to let you go yet…_ **

**_I'm afraid to…_ **

**_I'm afraid I'll never see you again…That…you'll…_ **

"Beyond?" The detective was outstretching his wrist, had been for a few seconds, and the copy was not responding; B was just staring at the floor, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular.

"Oh…thanks, L." The killer's hand came to grip L's own and the older one's wrist, slowly sliding the handcuff onto the lithe body part, clicking it into place.

…But Beyond did not let go right away, he continued to hold Lawliet's hand in his own, just staring at the appendage, noticing how it had many scaring cuts on it, dirt on the palm and under the fingernails, and, taking a subtle sniff, he noticed the musky smell yet again, accompanied with the faint aroma of strawberries…sweet, fresh **strawberries**.

"…" The younger one remained silent, but his pale, bony fingers began to caress L's palm, the cuts, the dried blood, the dirt, all of it…besides all of that, the hand still felt…extremely smooth. It seemed quite odd that it did, but it truly did. Smooth like Arabian silk…soft like Egyptian cotton. And Beyond could not help but gently squeeze it, and he felt L stiffen somewhat under his grip.

"…" B lifted L's hand to his light tinted red lips (he had taken a jar of jam and consumed it after the conversation with his "child self") and softly placed a butterfly **kiss** on the hand on its surface, smiling around the kiss, all the while, both men remained silent, "…Let's go."

The other handcuff was latched by Beyond onto himself, and the man strolled towards the door, not commanding the other to follow; he knew L would, and not just because of the handcuffs.

…

The silence that existed as they traveled down another rusty corridor, with some blood and jam splatters set upon the walls, with shattered glass pieces upon some patches of flooring, and even a few strewn jam jars and Wara Ningyo in various spots and corners and doorways, was eerie and very uncomfortable, neither man spoke, and it was mainly for both of them knew not what to say to the other.

And would not the best option then would be to be silent? Is that not the best?

…Perhaps not in this case…for it just made it worse, in both of their opinions.

Finally, after some time, the killer reached a door, stopping to wait for L to catch up and stand completely next to him; his current position was about a foot away due to the chain's length, which the detective was taking advantage of quite well.

"…You can come stand next to me, you know…I am not going to bash your head into the door, Lawli."

"…" L, who had not moved the distance at all from before B had spoken, (again, quite softly), he finally moved, coming to stand next to his captor. "…I apologize. I am-"

"You're apprehensive. But…I can understand. I…Heh…I probably would be too…"

"…So…what is behind this door..?" The raven questioned hesitantly, fearing that the placed beyond the metal blockade would be just like the bondage room he had taken up temporary residence in before.

"…" B actually gave a small, shy smile, his ruby orbs locked onto the copper doorknob, "…I'm sure you'll like it, Lawli. Don't…don't worry. It's…not like how it was before, I promise."

…

L did like it; the moment Beyond opened the door, he concluded that he did like it, for many reasons, the main one being that it held no way of L getting injured further.

…It was a _garden_.

But not just a small garden with many weeds, nor a patch of dirt with a few splinter-populous benches. It was a full blooming garden, colorful, bright, exquisite.

The detective found his dropping at the sight of the rainbow of flowers and herbs, many of them from the Western World, including the Americas. He could list off many of the types in his head: Roses, Asters, Lilies, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, Irises, Carnations, Orchids, Tulips, Lisianthuses, Snapdragons, and dozens more; all in various colors, many bright, and others dark. Tens of herbs were scattered around, and ivy was growing on all four walls that faced the garden. L hypothesized that the garden had been built in the center of the warehouse, in a square partition, and that guess was even more strengthened when he could locate all four doors on the four walls. In the complete middle of the garden was a cobble-stoned square, with two wooden benches nestled on the surfaced, surrounded by all of the greenery. The sitting places had beautiful, intricate designs carved into them, making them look even more like works of art.

"...H-How…?"

"I don't know how it got here," Beyond snorted, "I certainly didn't grow it. I just found it here when I got this place. Someone had to have planted them; the majority of these don't grow in Japan. How they can even grow here is amazing. But, no one had been here to take care of them…I'm guessing someone just planted them all, and left probably not too long ago, explaining why they're still living. All they would need would be sun and water, right?"

"…Most likely…" BB started heading towards one of the benches, Lawliet following, "Are you interested in botany, Beyond?"

The killer shrugged his bony shoulders again, reaching his destination, quietly, "I don't know. I just know what I was taught."

"…I see."

Both men sat themselves upon the wooden surface, getting into identical crouches, both sets of hands coming to rest upon both sets of jeans; the killer's head turned towards the left, L's to the right.

For once in his life, Lawliet was happy to see the sun, feel its warmth settle upon his pallid, bruised skin. He had begun to fear that he would never see the outside world again, never smell the air, or even see other objects other than those same rusted walls of the warehouse. But being out here…his fears began to dissipate somewhat; perhaps Beyond would…be more lenient with him now.

"…Is…" L was being the first to take the plunge with speaking, "Is…there any specific reason as why you brought me out here...?"

"…No reason specifically." B mumbled softly, his eyes still trained on the floor, "Just…to talk, I guess…maybe…I don't know."

"We really have not been talking, B-"

"What are we doing now?" The killer could not help the smirk that appeared, and he even let out a somewhat mocking chuckle.

"Well…yes, we're speaking now…but I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Lawli…I know you're not stupid."

…

They were both silent again for some time, B's gaze locked onto the ground, while Lawliet's gaze traveling over all of the surrounding greenery, smiling internally at its beauty. L may not have looked like it, but he was one to enjoy plants and flowers. He especially found it worth while to read about a flower's history, coloring, origin, and even its Latin name. The raven was not really sure as to why he enjoyed it all, just that he did.

"…For one who said we aren't talking much, you're sure not that eager to speak, Lawli." Beyond spoke gently, chuckling again at the end of that statement, "But…I guess I would not blame you?"

"…No. And I do not blame you for not speaking either. Considering much, I-"

"Why are you doing the Kira case?" BB blurted it out surprisingly, his head shooting up to face L's like a high-speed rocket, his blood-red eyes shining curiously, his voice too holding a similar tone.

"Oh…well…It interests me. And…Kira is a criminal, Beyond. A mass murderer…he should be brought to justice. Why…do you ask?"

"Because you're putting your life on the line, don't you know that? I…well…I'm…" Concern was alight in B's eyes, which greatly surprised L, and when the copy had trailed off, biting his lip in fear of not knowing what to speak next, the detective continued.

"Of course I do. It is a dangerous job…but I enjoy what I do. And someone must do it."

"But…why do you have to do it, L? Can't…someone else do it? Why **you**?"

"Because, Beyond…if **I** do not do it, **who** will? Not many people would have the nerve, gall, whatever you want to call it, and the intelligence to take on high-profile, and powerful criminals."

"Yeah…but…"

The copy's eyes turned towards L once again, and in his ruby vision there floated L's lifespan.

_**November 5th…2004…** _

That's just under _six months_ away…

_Oh, Lawli…_

"Beyond? What is it?" The older one could see the concerned stare on the other's face, Beyond's eyes locked onto a certain point above L's head, and it made him wonder what was wrong with the younger male.

"…Nothing. Just know that I am not letting you go right now."

"…That does not surprise me, in all actuality. Is it because…you **love me**?"

"…" A faint angel's kiss of a blush came to rest upon the copy's face, and after a few moments of awkward silence, B spoke, "…Yeah…and….someone has to protect you. You're…going to get yourself killed if you aren't careful, L." Beyond reprimanded firmly.

"Why are you so concerned…?"

"I told you, **I love you** , you damn idiot….you're not going to believe that are you? And more of it is….this Kira…he's not a normal killer, Lawli."

_Because…he can kill them…_

_Before their lifespan runs out…I can't do that._

It was true, Beyond had been studying Kira's moves. Before all of this had happened, B had been watching many of the criminals on the news and behind bars, they were some sort of odd "inspiration" to him, and moreover they kept him entertained; hearing all about them did not bore him at all.

Doing this though, Beyond had come to learn of all of their life-spans; many were to die in prison, he guessed, but it would not be for years at least.

But Kira…the killer of the criminals…was picking them off. Almost…

**Magically** …

Instantly, their life-spans would tinker down to zero, like a tiny clock zooming down towards the final moment. Oh, Beyond saw that happen when HE was to kill, BUT when HE always did it, it was always the victim's "time to go".

**One minute…He attacked…**

**Forty seconds…The knife plunged…**

**Twenty seconds…They screamed in agony…**

**Zero seconds, zero minutes…They were deceased…**

But with Kira, Beyond could see it: A criminal, such as a man that committed rape, for instance, was to still be alive for approximately two more years in jail, would drop like a stone all before he was supposed to.

It only made sense to say Kira was a "supernatural killer".

And…that mention of the eyes on that videotape…

For some reason, which unfathomed B, L had released that one to the public; he guessed it was maybe to lure Kira out or tease this "second" one, for BB hypothesized it was a second one. But on that tape…

**The Eyes…**

Beyond knew of no specific name for his eyes…he believed they were to be called "Shinigami Eyes", yet he knew not how he came upon that knowledge, thinking perhaps it was wisdom implanted into him at birth, most likely.

….But…"The Eyes"…

_Were they like his…?_

_Was that the connection…?_

_What? What was the connection?_

"I know Kira is not a normal killer, Beyond, but I am willing to take that risk." L affirmed after a moment of pondering an answer.

"But **WHY**? Why do you need to? D-Don't….don't you have other things to live for other than…Justice?"

"…Not really. I…I do not believe so, Beyond."

"?" BB blinked, somewhat surprised at the response he got, "Why…why would you say that?"

"You told me yourself. I am a cold, selfish bastard…and I know I am."

"L, you're not-"

"Shush. I am…that was correct, and you know it." The raven blinked somberly, slightly shaking his head, "I…I don't deserve anything…I'm worthless, aren't I?"

"Bull, L! That's not true! You-"

"You are the one who told me all that, and you know you're right."

"But I didn't mean it, Lawli!" Beyond was nearly pleading with the other to see the truth…to see that B was wrong.

_Please…Lawli, just see it…!_

_Just like how I saw you were sorry…_

_…_

_…But I saw too late…didn't I…?_

_Now I'm stuck…_

_Stuck knowing not where to go…_

"…But you meant it at the time, Beyond. You may not completely mean it now, but you did mean it at the time; a part of you meant it at that time, so it was correct." The captive's voice sounded cold and…even a little hurt.

"…Lawli…I…"

"…I am sorry. I was just stating how I feel."

"So…you don't feel anything else other than…worthlessness?" BB mumbled, feeling even more depressed at L's talk of him being worth nothing, nothing but scum and dirt.

"…I feel confused. I…I don't know where to go from here."

"Because I said **I love you** …?"

"…Yes…." The response was hesitant, as if Lawliet was afraid to put the truth out there for the other.

"… **I love you**." B whispered softly, staring into the raven's obsidian orbs remorsefully, feeling his face heat up again, he imagined it was a bright red by this time, "I…I don't know what else I can say. But…I've found that I have come to be in love with you Lawli…"

"Yes, you have repeatedly told me that."

"…And…that's it, isn't it? There's…nothing else, is there?" Beyond's voice actually went a decibel higher at the last few words, making the question come out as a twisted whine.

"…Perhaps not. I did not say that I did not love you. I just said that I was confused."

"…Heh…I guess it's better than a just plain 'no', right?" A wry smile planted itself upon the killer's face, and he shook his head, "That gives me a little…"

_… **Hope** …?_

"A…little what?"

"…Uh…" Beyond wasn't one to speak of hope and faith, he felt nearly embarrassed at thinking about it; the man had a tough exterior, a rough, jagged exterior. For him to be spouting words like faith, hope, love…well, it was pushing it for him. Even just saying " **I love you** " to L was stretching the boundaries.

So, looking quite foolish, he plunged a hand into the nearby blossoming plants, and yanked out the first flower he could grab…

**A purple Iris…**

"…For you?" An uncomfortable, embarrassed smile came to life on Beyond's face, and he felt even more humiliated. NOW he looked quite schoolgirl-esque, flustered, flushed, and facing more embarrassment. Oh, why didn't he just say the word HOPE! Instead, he gives the man a flower…

_Oh, you're smooth…a real Casanova, Beyond…nice…_

"…"

L was silent; for a few minutes, he just stared at the flower, a mildly surprised expression upon his bony cheeks.

Then…

The detective reached out, and gently took the flower into his lithe palms, gently holding it, like it was a precious gem from the Queen herself.

"Thank you Beyond…" A small chuckle came from L, and at first, the copy thought he was being mocked, and a pout appeared.

But when a compassionate smile came to life on L Lawliet's face as he stared at the flower in his hands, B blinked, the pout vanishing, and an awkward grin settled itself on his own lips.

"…Do you know what the Iris stands for Beyond…?"

"….No…It…stands for something?"

_SHIT…_

_What if I gave him a flower that means "I want to screw you"?_

"Yes…" L turned more towards his captor, then stoodup from the bench, the smile, be it small, but that was unimportant, still plastered upon his face, "It means… **faith** and **hope** , B."

"…" Beyond felt himself turn even more red, realizing that he had subconsciously conveyed his message to L anyway…

_Yet he still had made a quite large of a fool of himself…Oh WONDERFUL._

"…So…you are not letting me go?"

"Nope. You're not leaving until…we both aren't confused. And when I feel you aren't in anymore danger, Lawli-chan."

"…'chan'? If…you must call me something of the feminine side of life, just make it Lawli, alright?"

"Aw…is Lawli-pop okay?" Beyond laughed cheerfully, shocking him internally that he laughed like how he used to.

"…I won't have a choice, will I…?" The older one sighed, "…If…it is not too much trouble…can…I get a shower?"

"…Shower?"

"…Beyond, I have not bathed in days, and I have had to…urinate…not in a bathroom for the past few days…not to mention I am filthy, bruised and…well, you know."

"Oh…Yeah…Um…I am sorry."

_Dammit…you really didn't take good care of him…_

_He hasn't eaten or drank much either…and used the bathroom…? Did he go on the floor…? Did…Did he even go…? He…hasn't drunk much either…_

_Damn, Beyond…you're such a bastard…_

"…Yes, I know, but do you have a shower here?

"…Yeah, I do…Uh…follow me…?" Beyond kept his awkward grin, and stood up as well, and began to lead the other man out of the garden.

...

_This…this was good._

Everything was off to a good start for Beyond…

Maybe…there was just a little chance…even if it was small, tiny, miniscule…it was STILL a chance.

Perhaps L would open up to him more…tell him more…

They had talked here, it was a start…

_And L…Lawli…_

As they headed towards the bathroom…

**He was still holding that bright purple Iris…**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dont forget to leave a comment, kudos and subscribe
> 
> See you soon


	9. Chapter 9: Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys ... please do not hate me, it's been such difficult weeks ...
> 
> First my grandmother fell, so we have to take care of her a lot, and let me tell you that she is a handful.
> 
> Second, things in my country are not going well, if you're wondering i'm from Venezuela, and these days things have been hectic with the new conversion of currencies, prices, lack of food and medicine, schools and businesses are closing, etc. And lets not talk about the eartquake, i still feel dizzy when i think about it, i was SO scared...
> 
> In the third place, I have two nieces and a nephew, and most of the time I take care of the older one, she has a year and a half, and I do not have time to update.
> 
> I hope to finish this fic before the new year hahaha so please stay
> 
> Now, with all that said, enjoy the chapter.

_"We have heard the chimes at midnight."_

_\- King Henry IV, Part II, (Act III, Scene II)_

* * *

 

**Winchester, England, Wammy's House….Nearing 11: 45 P.M**

"…Are you done Mihael?"

"Give me a second, NEAR." Mello was typing furiously at the computer; once again, he and Nate had snuck into the library's computer lab area, all the rest of the children resting, all snuggled up in their soft beds.

"Well, please make it completed before I fall asleep here on the floor, resulting in you having to carry me back, Mello."

"WHAT in God's name would make you think that I'D carry YOU back?"

"…" The albino boy was silent, just giving the blonde chocolate-addict a blank stare.

"WELL?" The older one whispered very angrily, wanting the other to respond.

"…Just send Watari the damn e-mail." Nate turned away from his companion, a harsh stare beaming right into the floorboards.

"Hmph…fine… whatever. And I'm supposed to just send the e-mail with Roger's signature?"

"Of course. Did you really think that Mr. Wammy would read an e-mail about this situation that was sent from us? He would think we were being childish, and possible punishment could arise."

"I didn't need a big definition, you little _snowman-look-alike-slash-Poindexter_."

"…My, that was quite a long insult. Can't you do better than-"

"SHUT. UP!" Mihael whispered roughly again, rolling his ice blue eyes in response, "Just come and proofread this for me; check and see if it tells all of what we've found out."

Near got up from the ground with a sigh, and peered over Mello's shoulder.

"…It seems fine. But perhaps you could find a synonym for the word 'got'…or the word 'looked'…Oh, and you should not have a period there, and-"

"I asked you to look at the information, NOT the grammar, you English-whore!"

"…Whore?"

"Yeah, like GRAMMAR whore, but you're an ENGLISH whore! Or maybe you're BOTH!"

"…Well, at least I am not a regular whore?"

"…" Mello slapped his forehead with a sigh, "…Whatever. Alright, I told him about the info we found on ' _Bantini Bemouir_ ', ' _Benedict Betouix_ ', ' _Bernard Buchwald_ ', and ' _Biyokoi Buichi_.'; how that probably two of the men are real, and that one isn't, but we're not sure. Do you think Watari will find this useful, Near?"

"…I suspect that he will. L is a dear person to him; any information would be useful, yes?"

"…Alright. I…I hope so."

"…You really are worried, Mello."

"Of COURSE I am, Nancy Near! It's **L**! He's my…he's my **hero**! I'd do **anything** to help him!"

"...You really care about him." Nate stated softly, playing with his blue and red model plane while doing so.

"Uh, yeah. Don't you?"

"Of course. L is very important to me…I am just surprised you say that you would "Do anything" for him so lightly."

"I'm not saying that lightly; I know it's a serious thing to say, and I really mean it."

"…There are not many people in this world that you would do that for, is there Mihael?"

"Uh…" Mello turned his eyes to the window, staring at the shining moon outside; the crescent shape's yellow glow was somewhat comforting in this time of dire peril and uncomfortable atmosphere, "…There's a few, Near. Matt, Watari, L… **you**."

"…Me?"

"Yeah, you're…my…"

"…Your…?"

"AGH! Are you GONNA make me say it?"

"…Yes." Near stated, a blank stare upon his face.

"… **FRIEND**. You're a…friend."

"There, now was that so hard?" A fleeting smile came to grace the albino child's face, but disappeared a second later. "Now, send the e-mail."

"Bossy bastard…"

CLICK.

SEND.

… **RAWRRRRR**?

"…Why do you make Matt use animal noises as the sign that someone is coming?"

"Because then I can say that I make him moo, caw, roar, you know…It's kinda funny."

"Agreed…"

Both boys ducked under the computer desk just as Roger came around the corner.

"…Trying out for Animal House again, Mail?"

"Oh, no, Roger…"

"…Then why the roar, dear boy?" The old man questioned testily.

"Uh…one of these days, I'm gonna make hot animal sounds for a passionate lover, and I'm practicing?"

"…" The sweat-drop coming from Roger was of epic proportions.

"…I'm serious, Roger." Matt smiled a billion-watt smile.

"…Yes…I'm sure you are. Have you been playing too much of _The Sims 2_ , Matt? Perhaps that is giving you odd ideas…"

"…Maybe…"

"Get to bed, Mail Jeevas. Your 'lover', whoever he or she is, shall wait for you and your AMAZING animal calls, and would probably prefer you head to bed now."

"Yeah, yeah…I'm moving Sir…"

Footsteps retreated, and Mello came out of his silent reverie to find his companion upon his lap.

"Agh!" The blonde pushed the white haired boy off of him, who landed with a soft thump.

"Was that necessary, Mello?"

"Yes. You were in my personal space."

"…But you and Matt are always close."

"Yeah, but Matt doesn't creep me out, Near. Unlike YOU. And he's also my best friend."

"…Alright, let's go…" Near was quick to end the conversation, and led his companion towards the door.

They had done all they could…now…

It was up to the angels on the other side of the world to save L…

* * *

 

**Kanto Region, Japan, 3:45 PM the same day, Kira Case Headquarters/Hotel**

Looking at other people's email was wrong; plain and simple, but oh so true fact.

Yet, Raito Yagami had the stirring urge to just click that tiny button, and open up Watari's electronic messages.

Perhaps it was because the older gentleman, still in a twitter and a nervous wreck about the kidnapping of his precious L, had left the laptop wide open and in Raito's plain view on the kitchen table. Or maybe it was the brunette's conscience kicking itself into high gear once more, and that sight of that glowing laptop and the 'beep' of the message receiver system on the computer stirred something in him? Or perhaps it was a combination of both?

Whatever the case may be, Raito stealthily moved towards the empty kitchen chair, with only Ryuk for company; now was the time the killer was happy he suggested Watari get some fresh air, and bring them back more coffee of course (Matsuda was drifting off to sleep once more).

"Hehe…whatcha looking for Raito?" The lanky Death God wheezed out as he towered over his 'master'. "Somethin' to help your lover boy?"

"In all honesty, I'm not sure as to what I'm really looking for, Ryuk. I just thought looking at this might give me some information." The brunette was typing away at the keys in front of him, sepia eyes glued to the screen; Watari had many passwords and encodings upon his hard drive, many of them for his Internet pages, and even for starting up the computer once again, not that that surprised Raito of course, and thankfully, with his intelligence, and knowledge of coding, he was able to surpass most of them, including ones dealing with …

Until he got to the one he really wanted to see: The e-mail passwords and firewalls.

"Hehe…smart man, keeping that under lock and key…Hehehe…"

"…It's nothing I can't break through…" More typing of the keys…

"Oh, REALLY? So Mr. Genius can figure out anything?"

"Well, the other passwords were number coordinations, common ones, mistakes on Watari's part. I was able to really just take lucky and good guesses from knowing the knowledge of others, and from all the reading I have done. But for this, It most likely would be something more intricate and complicated…Hmm."

Raito looked around the table, glancing at various papers the old caretaker had spread upon the wooden surface, some words sticking out, and bolding in his mind, like a text in a novel.

L…

Detective…

Beyond…

Birthday…

… _Wammy's_?

"…" The brunette stared at the words, and taking a guess that 'Wammy's' might be the password, its length being appropriate, and it was discreet enough to be useful, he typed it in…

And it succeeded…

The e-mail inbox popped up, and Raito did not hide the triumphant smirk growing upon his handsome face.

"Perfect…just as planned….Now let's have a look, shall we?"

A great deal of the already opened e-mails were still in the inbox, and the Yagami glanced at the titles, deciding he would sneak a look at them later; what interested him the most was the newest electronic letter, that had yet to be opened, it reading:

**Watari: Important Information: Aliases**

"…That seems important, Raito…Hehe…"

"You think? Aliases, Ryuk. Those fake names might-"

"Yeah, yeah, might lead you to L. I may not be the smartest Shinigami, but I do know some things, Raito."

"…Of course, Ryuk." In all truth, Raito could care less of the Death God's babbles and thoughts at this moment; his intelligent brain was elsewhere at this time, and he clicked upon the e-mail. It opened, revealing:

**\- Watari**

_I have done extensive research into the whereabouts of Beyond Birthday, and while looking at the aliases you have put on the Wammy's homepage, I have discovered that each of the "men" have had connections to the Japanese area; yet, this does not tell us if they are real men who have suffered some form of identity theft, or if they are truly made up aliases that Beyond Birthday is using at this point in time._

_The information includes the following:_

_' **Bantini Bemouir** ': According to travel records, hopped onto a plane from the English coast a few months ago, took first class, expensive ticket. His location was unspecified during this time, but it was found out that a credit card under his name was used to purchase goods. I was able to…dare I say it, hack into different databases, but forgive me for this intrusion, Master Wammy. I know, we'll probably have another fight, but now that is not important. L is and we need to find him as fast as possibly. As I stated, I found out he purchased some items, many of them at higher shops in the Tokyo area. From there, another airplane ticket was purchased, and a flight to Italy was taken, but about three weeks later, another trip back to Japan was arranged, and Bantini Bemouir bought a small apartment in the Osaka area. It is unknown whether or not he is still living there, for he did take a plane back to England about four weeks after the purchase. The apartment is still in his name, and the address is: **28339 Grove Isle** , which is a newer residential area not far from your current location._

_' **Benedict Betouix** ': This man had little information to give about him, or from what I could find. He was located in the Kanto area around the time of L's kidnapping, for he purchased, with again, a credit card, a large shop in that area, and from the gathering of a website page, it seems to be a flower shop, but this is still unconfirmed. There was no home address that I could find, which made me all the more suspicious, yet possibly, the man could be living with someone else who owns a home. I also was able to find that he was indeed from France, and that there is a home there, but its address could not be given to me, unfortunately. Though, I do have the address of the flower shop: **81312 Taniji Street** , in the Tokyo area._

_' **Bernard Buchwald** ': This alias surprised me the most, to be perfectly frank. I found that there is no home here, in all of Japan, which is under that name. That name was not found to be anywhere in all of the country, but I was able to locate it in two areas: One, in the **United States, in the city of New York** , and Two, here in **England**. I found it quite odd, but then again this is Beyond Birthday, so nothing surprises me at this point. There are home addresses and phone numbers for both of these places:_

**_1-234-642-2234 = France_ **

**_1-313-137-1331 = New York_ **

_I did not bother to include the addresses, due to the fact I have a feeling that you shall not be traveling to these places in the near future, unless it is an emergency, correct? And if needed, you shall ask me._

_' **Biyokoi Buichi** ': This alias, to you at this point, would probably seem the most likely to check out, but I would warn you now to not eliminate the others right from the start. Most likely, Beyond is using the others just as much, or is using a combination of all of them at one time; or perhaps it is just the opposite, and he is using only one at a time, or is no longer using the others. But I digress; This name was spotted in Japan, just a few miles from the **Kanto** area, as the name for a home, and also, a very large purchase was made under this name, as for what, that is uncertain. I do know that it was quite large, and expensive, and made with a credit card. Not much else was found out when looking up this name, but the address: 7 **813 Hikiari Plex Avenue**._

_Watari, this was all I could find at this time, but I hope, pray, that this shall lead both of us closer to our L. And perhaps some good changes will come of this, my friend. L is a human, and I fear that…we could have prevented this if we had been more careful, and treated him more human. I am at fault here, and I know, that deep down, you feel that you are too. But we are not at fault for his kidnapping one-hundred percent, that was B's idea, truthfully, but you and I both know we are having many regrets as to our past treatment of L. Perhaps when this Hell is all over, we can change our ways for the better._

_I wish you all the best of luck in this search, this race against time…_

**_\- Roger Ruvie_ **

"…" Raito re-read the e-mail again, and a smirk came upon his face; he had stumbled upon a goldmine of information.

"Hehehe…well, didn't you hit the jackpot, Raito…"

"I did, Ryuk…but Watari might find it suspicious that an e-mail was open when he had not checked it yet."

"He might get on to ya? Is that what you're saying?" The Death God asked as he spied a juicy red apple on the nearby kitchen counter, drool flowing from his spiky and scary mouth, and after a nod from "Kira", Ryuk grabbed the apple, devouring it in seconds, quite noisily.

"Yes, he might, so that is why I have a few things to do for preventing that. But first…"

Raito decided to print out the e-mail, after hooking up the laptop to the portable printer that the old caretaker of L had brought with him; the technology worked fast, and the electronic letter printed out quickly, all of the information now in the palm of Raito's hand.

_This is…too perfect…there must be some God on my side…some GODS are turning fate in my direction…_

"And now so that I don't get caught…" Then brunette returned back to the humming laptop, and clicked print once more, and then deleted the e-mail permanently.

"Watari is too out of it to remember what he read specifically, so when he sees this, he'll just assume that he himself read it and printed it out, not anyone else." Raito laid the e-mail down next to the laptop, "I just KNOW that is what is going to happen; or, if I get luckier, the e-mail will not even be looked at, giving me a head-start into finding L."

"And that's important why…?" The dark, lanky attached Shinigami asked the own of its Notebook.

"Well, it is simple, really. If I am able to rescues L, it'll make me look better in Watari's eyes. He'll start to suspect me less of being Kira, and when Ryuzaki comes to care about me, like I have him, Watari will think even more better of me, seeing that I have come to care about his "never treated like a human" L. And I'll continue on my way of being Kira; everything shall work out perfectly, Ryuk."

"Heh…I never knew human love consisted of so much manipulation."

"...What does THAT mean?"

"Hehe…Raito, you don't see it? You're just manipulating this situation to fit your wants and needs. Yeah, sure, you may be 'in love' with this guy, but you're just manipulating the situation to make him fall in love with you once you rescue him, which might be harder to do than you expect, ya know. This…Beyond Birthday sounds extremely intelligent, and if he comes from the same place as L, then that should show you even more so that you need to be prepared. Don't think that this is going to go all easy for you, Kira because I have a feeling it isn't. Hehehe…and how do you know that L is just going to fall in love with you like-"

" **SHUT UP**! **YOU** don't know anything and…are you keeping **something** from me?"

"What gives you that idea, Raito?" Ryuk wheezed, a deathly smile on his face.

"…You just said…that you have a feeling it might not go easy for me….why do you say that?"

"Just because…Hehehe…"

"…" Raito dropped the conversation, turning back towards the laptop and shutting it off; besides, who cared what Ryuk thought? He wasn't in control of this situation, Raito Yagami, Kira, was!

_This is just too perfect…one of these aliases has to be this Beyond Birthday…I'll start looking up information tonight, and over the next few days…it'll be easy, I'll just ask Misa to do more killings, giving me more time to find L…And that in turn shall give me some form of alibi; if I am working on my computer at home, 'studying', while really looking for L, and my father comes in and see, I can state that I am, once again, studying like the good little student that I am, that I am supposed to be…_

_Oh, this is just wonderful…_

As Raito wandered back to the main investigation room, stuffing the papers of the e-mail into his pocket, he hid the smirk, changing it into a concerned expression…

But poor Raito did not realize…

That **he** was not in control of this situation…

But neither was **L** …nor **Beyond Birthday** …

Only **fate** was…

* * *

 

**Beyond's Warehouse….3:55 PM**

The corridor down to the bathroom was covered in tiny bits of glass, shining in various bright and dark colors, some of the pieces glued to the walls. All along those walls as well were splatters of jam, of reds, violets, and lighter peach colors. L noticed as Beyond walked ahead of him that there were also newspaper clippings thumb-tacked onto the rusty slides, and the detective noticed that they were mainly about him. " _L Solves Triple Homicide in Bermuda_ ", " _L Finds Lost Money, Over Two Billion Dollars Recovered_ ", " _L Stops Terrorists in Italy_ ", " _L Takes on Kira Case_ "…And so on and on…there was also some pictures of the raven, and the man wondered how B had actually acquired them.

"You…followed me a lot, didn't you?"

B snorted, "Psh, of course I did…" The man turned back to his chained companion, smirking, "I'm " **obsessed** " with you, Lawli…why wouldn't I?"

"…Yes, I suppose, when you state it like that…" Lawliet blinked when he took into account the pictures of himself, a little surprised at their appearance in the hall, "Are those…pictures of me?"

"…" Beyond was silent, slowing down his walking pace, his face a little bent, mainly to hide the blush that had sneaked up on him, "…Yes.." He responded after some time.

"Oh…"

"I uh…was watching you for awhile….before I made my move….And…I saw a lot. Heh….the old wives' tale about you being obsessed with sweets is true, right?"

"Old…wives' tale? B, what have they told you about me?" The older one asked, with a dark chuckle emanating from his throat.

"…Lots, actually. Well, they were more rumors that I heard when I was a kid; like…how you sat, what you ate, how you spoke, even what you wore…and actually it was all true." The killer actually smiled a tiny grin at his companion, and continued, "…I never heard anything about what you actually looked like though; some of the kids said that you were a dark-haired guy, but then again I even heard jokes about how you had blue hair, green or white eyes, and looked like some demi-god.

"Heh…children will spin a web of their own tales, it is only natural. And…you are not disappointed with what you actually got with me?"

B stopped as they came to another rusty door, "Are you kidding? You're…you're….really great…" The man bent his head again, midnight bangs hiding his face, and the reddening skin, "Umm…Well, there's a shower in here."

The copy turned the doorknob as his chained captive came to stand next to him, the hinges creaking, for the door had not been used in a great amount of time. Inside, the bathroom was a pale green, not of vomit, but more of a very dark sea green color. Tiles, broken and whole, made of the floor, with white caulking in-between each little square. A white sink that was broken, it was missing a hot water knob, stood in the far left corner, a black toilet next to it that looked to be in working order mostly; save for the crack in the bowl part. On the right wall was a glass shower that shone a nice clean clear color, no rust or lime or anything. The walls and door of it were made of the type of glass that blurred the view of anyone who would look into the enclosed space. A shiny silver shower head sparkled from where L was standing, along with nice clean water knobs. A bright red rug, contrasting greatly with the entire décor of the room, stood in front of the shower; a copper towel rack hung to the right of the bathing space. There was also a tiny folding chair next to the shower, in the place of a stool.

"…You can go ahead and strip, Lawli." Beyond threw up his hands, portraying an innocent man, "And I swear, I won't look."

"…You're staying here."

"Yes…And I won't watch you shower like some pervert, I swear."

"…" L decided it was better than nothing, and after a small sigh, he nodded in agreement, and outstretched his cuffed wrist, "You shall have to remove this in order for me to…undress."

Beyond complied, removing the cuff from L's wrist, and turned his back on the detective just as the sounds of swishing, of clothing being removed, filled his ears.

It took all of the copy's strength to not turn around and ogle his captive eagerly; but he knew that would only make the situation much, much worse. To alleviate the struggle, Beyond did manage to sneak peaks at the older man, the man he not only lusted after, but felt deep love for…deep compassion.

_…Mrowrr…God…That…that body…_

And he always thinks he's ugly…but I…completely think otherwise…he's got muscles in all the right places, and not too many…He's a little too skinny, in matters of health…but I like that about him…his chest…nice neck…lovely eyes…sweet, sexy hips…and those…

_Those legs…Uhh…Stop it Beyond, if you keep thinking about those…l-legs…and where you want them…you'll have to get in the shower next, and lock L outside so he doesn't hear you…make noise…_

_…Oh, GOD_ …B's eyes had traveled lower, _HOW did I not notice how…how **HUNG** he was…look at that thing…Uhhh…n-not that I wouldn't let him dominate me, I'm a top, always…b-but…wow, a piece of equipment…Heh…_

"Beyond?" L's voice rang out, snapping B away from his thoughts as he held out his wrist, the lanky body's back still turned towards B, "Are you going to cuff me again? For…you shall be waiting outside the stall right?"

"Uh…yeah…And there's shampoo and soap inside there…and the towels are right on the rack…" Don't look at his ass, don't look at his ass, do **NOT** look at his **GORGEOUS** ass Beyond…! The wielder of the Eyes cautiously slipped the handcuff onto his companion as the older man made his way to the stall, opening the door just as the killer took a seat on the fold-out chair, trying to keep his eyes on the figure that was hidden behind that glass door.

The water started up immediately, and Lawliet let out a content sigh, the warm water, actually warm water, felt amazingly comforting on his beaten and bruised skin, and the raven sighed again; grabbing a sponge that was hanging on the shower cord, dampening it under the water droplets that flowed freely from the head, and after grabbing the soap bar and creating suds in the sponge, L wasted no time in cleaning himself, sighing once more as the calming friction relaxed him.

Meanwhile, Beyond was not as well off, for L's sighs of happiness, sent shivers of pleasure down his spine; did that man know how…arousing his voice could BE?

Especially when he was relaxed? And the man's body was in sight of B's ruby orbs, moving slowly back and forth underneath the hot water, blurred somewhat by the glass door and walls. The younger one felt his jeans growing a little tighter, and diverted his eyes to the floor, and even tried moving his lanky body somewhat, the chain between the duo that was partially hanging inside the shower jangling at the movement.

"Hm? Beyond? Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, L…I am…Just take your time, okay?"

"….Of course. Thank you. For a captor-"

"Don't consider me your captor….Think of me as your **protector** , Lawli."

"…You cannot protect me from the world… **fate** …No matter how much one…loves…another, you cannot protect them from all, Beyond."

"…But what if…I want to..?"

"…One cannot always get what they want, B…"

"…"

The men were silent for some time, the running water the only sound that could be heard in the old bathroom. But, minds were in contrast, for each of them was buzzing with thoughts, ideas, and predictions of what was to come. If one could describe the atmosphere, tense would be the main focal point, and perhaps some added apprehension, nerves, worrying…and even lust could be detected in the air.

After some time, the water eventually shut off, Lawliet sighing once again in peace. The raven had washed his body from head to toe, caressing his skin with strawberry shampoo, a tiny grin on his face as a bony hand exited the door, fumbling for the towel rack.

"Oh! L, here…" Beyond jumped up rapidly, grabbing the beige towel hanging on the rack, and placing it in the palm of his companion's hand; the hand vanished a moment later, more rusting was to be heard, and a moment later, out stepped L; his chest still dripping wet, his hair flat from the water, but from the waist down, was covered in the towel his chained captor had handed him.

"…" This was the last straw for Beyond; as Lawliet went to the towel rack, grabbing the other large cloth to dry his hair, coming back to stand in front of the shower, bare feet padding on wet tile, the copy snuck up behind the raven.

"…Beyond, is there-!"

L found himself instantly pushed up against the shower door, which he had closed all but a moment ago. B's eyes were aglow with a potpourri of emotions as he stared into the insomniac's own dark ones, they too glittering, awash with rays of feelings.

"…B-Beyond…What are you-Mmph!"

Lips sweetened by **strawberries** crashed on top of pallid ones, midnight orbs widening to an extreme length, never blinking, in contrast to the closed ruby orbs of the younger man. A bony, lightly-blood stained hand came up to gently grasp some of Lawliet's locks, tugging slightly, and the copy lent out a soft sweet mewl of bliss as the man pushed his body closer to L's, his covered chest meeting L's bare one, not caring about the water droplets soaking through his own dark shirt.

Both bodies were shaking, L's especially, greatly due to the fact that he was finding it hard to push Beyond Birthday away quite roughly, or in any form at all; even more so when B's tongue slithered past his lips, and began to wetly dance with his own.

Lawliet's body started to shake even more, for his mind was flashing back to times he did not want to remember. Granted, B was a good kisser…a very good kisser…but one, it did not excuse his past behavior, what he had actually done to the detective. Not only that…but that kiss was bringing back even more painful childhood memories.

The flashbacks stung behind L's eyes, burned his brain, hampered his soul, and even though the detective knew Beyond did not mean for that to occur here and now, his body and mentality was not trusting anything, anyone at this point…

_But then how could he…? Was that not asking too much…?_

"S-Stop…" The tiny whisper came from L, which grew louder a moment later, " **S-STOP**!"

The raven shoved his companion away with all the strength he could muster, and the jam lover kept his balance at the sudden action of his Lawliet. Ruby eyes shone with startled shock for some time, but regained focus as reality set in.

L, though, had not been so lucky as to keep his balance, for after he had shoved B off of him, his bare feet had lost their dexterous balance on the wet, slippery floor; thankfully, before the older man had completely fallen on his head, he had grabbed the edge of the shower door, and even though it swung open, Lawliet's head bumping into the glass surface, it stopped the man from having a very harsh fall into the shower, instead the man landed more softly on the wet shower floor, water droplets from the shower head still sprinkling down.

"…L-Lawliet…I…F-Forgive me…I…" The copy and his captive, though he would deny that term, were both panting harshly.

"…" The raven was still shaking uncontrollably, making Beyond feel even more guilty.

"I couldn't control myself! I…You…Your body…I…F-Forgive me, I just….I wanted…I couldn't control my urges, and…" B was having trouble even forming sentences, feeling extremely flustered, scared, and nervous.

_Dammit…I might have just ruined everything…_

…

_Strike that…I did **ruin** everything…_

The younger one's opinion changed the moment L had let out a soft whine, burying his face in his knees.

"...Lawli…I…I…W-What's wrong? Was it the kiss…I…I knew it was too soon and..." The wielder of the Eyes got on his knees, and crawled closely to his companion, worry etched into his features, "Tell me…Please?" He softly whispered, and bit his lip when he was close enough to see that the raven was actually crying softly.

"…" A soft hiccup came from L, and B felt as if his heart was breaking.

"Oh God…L-Lawli…I…I didn't want to cause more hurt…I just…"

"It wasn't just what you did…" The detective whispered, "…There's something else."

"…Tell me…L, tell me, I want to know."

"…" The lithe body of the bruised man continued to shake, midnight eyes wide, glued to the floor, large tear droplets falling to the ground, "…I-I can't…"

"…Yes you can…I'll understand…I will; I know you don't trust me now…but you just have to try…"

As L's body continued to shake silently, as he continued to cry sorrowful tears, Beyond moved even closer, and wrapped his arms around the pale man, holding him close, Lawliet stiffened, and bit his lip…

And let out a soft wail, more rain-like drops falling from his eyes…

"He **TOUCHED** me…" The soft cry came from the older man, causing B to blink.

"Touched you…Who L, who?"

"A m-man! Y-You wouldn't know him! T-The caretaker o-of me…w-when my parents died! H-He **TOUCHED** me! W-When I was a boy!"

"…L, do you mean-"

" **WHAT** do you want me to say Beyond? That **YES** , he **DID** rape me multiple times, that **YES** , he **DID** chain me to a wall, and repeatedly tortured me! That he made me feel worthless, miniscule, that he **SCARRED** me for life! There, I said it all!" The older one was in hysterics by now, tears still falling, now even faster.

"… **No** …" The killer whispered, staring wide eyed at the one man, one person he cared about in this world.

"No, NOT no…Yes…Yes, he did…"

"…N-No…T-To you? W-Who would hurt you? **WHY** would-"

"W-Why would someone hurt m-me….Is that what you were going to say? I don't know! Power, fame, glory, sick pleasure? Why don't you ask **YOURSELF** that?"

"…L-Lawli…"

"S-Stop it…H-He called me that sometimes! I don't want to hear it!"

"…I'll make that nickname special. You won't mind being called that when I call you it…and where is this man, I-"

"K-Kill him? Don't b-bother, Kira got to him first…."

"Isn't that good? He's dead now, and-"

" **IT DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING**!" The raven screamed in frenzy at the man next to him, feeling more broken and defeated than ever, "…It doesn't change what he did to me…don't you understand that…?"

"…"

_What… **What have I done** …?_

_I…I didn't know that **THAT** actually happened to him…that he got…I can't even say it…_

_…All I did before was open up the wounds which had taken twenty-some years to heal…_

_I was the second one to **break** him…the second one to **destroy** him…_

_I was someone whom he never thought would hurt him like that…I was someone he actually liked a tiny bit…before all this happened…_

_…I'm a **monster** …_

_I don't want to be one now…but I was one back then…_

_No words could be said at a time like this; really, what could one say? What WAS there to say?_

Actions were more appropriate in the killer's mind, so while his companion, the man he did indeed love, continued to let tears fall, more softly now, the man with the red eyes gently took the detective into his arms more, holding Lawliet close, the raven's head going onto his shoulder. One of B's hands came around and began to soothingly rub the detective's back, as the copy murmured soft words of comfort.

"Shh…Hey, L…It'll be okay…I'm not going to hurt you like that anymore….I'm not going to hurt you in general, I swear."

"…One cannot swear to something of that nature; it is only human…it is only natural… for one to hurt another…." The older man sniffed, now silent, but tears still fell of their own accord.

"But…why not? People make promises all the time…some manage to actually keep them, Lawli…" B whispered softly, the older man still in his arms.

"…I learned a long time ago that promises are broken, most of the time it is always….more like ninety-nine percent, actually."

"That…is a really high number…why so much?"

"Divorces, broken friendships…mistrust in others in general…feelings of worthlessness, self-doubt. All lead to broken promises. Hence, the high number, and hence, why I neither keep nor make them."

"…No one showed you otherwise." Beyond stated softly in L's ear.

"...I could say the same about you…sometimes…"

"…Yeah…But I've learned to have a little more faith in…the people I do care about, Lawliet…"

"….It is not that I don't care-"

"You **DO** care about me-?" B interrupted, a tinge of surprise in his voice, trying to hide the ear-to-ear smile that threatened to blossom on his face, but L continued,

"It is just that I…I am not ready yet…I am just not. One cannot expect me to be ready yet…I've been through Hell again, I need to….heal my wounds once more."

"…Will you ever trust me? **Ever**?" The killer whispered quietly.

"…I don't know."

"…Will you ever…l-love me?"

"…I don't know."

"W-Will you ever know Lawli?" It was to be B's final question at the time.

"…In time, **I am sure I will**."

"Okay…" The copy sighed, still hugging Lawliet close, "Just…relax okay. You'll be fine, I promise…You might not believe me, but I do mean it…I'm not going to hurt you like I did before. Granted….we still might hurt each other in some ways…I don't know, but it won't be like before, I…." He stopped, noticing the other was quite silent, "L?"

"…" The raven had actually drifted off into a slumber, a blank expression on his face, the detective's worn thumb resting on pallid lips.

"Heh…and here I thought you were an insomniac…"

Beyond wanted to move, he really did, but the man knew it would disturb his companion. So instead, he vied for staying put; and in all honesty, those droplets that were still falling from the shower's head did not bother him in the least.

* * *

 

**Beyond's Warehouse, Midnight**

The duo had stayed in that bathroom for no more than an hour when L awoke with dry eyes and a somewhat somber expression. The copy had asked if he wanted to go lie down, the raven replying with a nod. So for the past many hours, they had just lain together on L's 'bed', not speaking a word aloud or to each other. Of course, the only thing on their minds had been each other, but this was not the time to voice that, now was it? They had only spoken when Beyond offered to get L some food, (a luscious piece of blueberry cheesecake, topped with said fruit and whipped cream), and a drink (piping hot green tea); also, when the man had needed to use the restroom, but other than that, silence had permeated the room.

But…to be truthful, the silence was not extremely uncomfortable. B had even seen Lawliet smile at one point during the duration of time, though he knew if he ever brought that to L's attention, the older man most likely would smack him. In a way though….the silence gave them time to think, mainly about each other; it gave them time to sort out opinions of the other man. Chiefly L, who was finding that being in the killer's arms was not as uncomfortable as it had started out to be.

Now though, it was midnight, and Beyond had awoken with a start. It was not the nightly chimes of the nearby churches bell tower that had startled him from his slumber, but his Lawliet's cries during the night. The raven next to him, being held in his arms, was shaking like an autumn leaf, eyes closed tightly, as if L was trying to block out a sight that could not be blotched away. The older one was also biting his lip, hard enough that a drop or two of blood had begun to leak out. Toes were curled, but not in pleasure, and more whines escaped trembling, pale lips.

"N-No…Please…Make them stop…"

"…L…"

_So this is why he doesn't sleep…nightmares, but that isn't really a surprise…He probably only got sleep during these past few days due to…my actions wearing him out…_

"…Uhhh…m-make them go away…"

"Shh…come here…"

The raven was already in Beyond's arms, but still at a farther distance; so, the killer pulled the fearful detective even closer, resting the older one's head in the crook of his neck, laying L's chest on top of his. Instantly, Lawliet, snuggled closer, as if he'd found what he had been searching for all along.

"Don't let them get me…Please…"

"…Lawli…I- **I won't** …Whoever they are…"

" **Beyond** …"

"!" The killer was shocked at the mentioning of his name from the sleeping raven, who seemed to be calming down, "…L-Lawli?"

"… **Save me** …from them...him…and my sins…"

Sins…?

"I… **I will** , don't worry…"

No, it was B's job to worry now; worry about protecting his L, his Lawliet. No one would touch him; no one would take him, not without a fight. L might start to trust him in time, and certainly no one, not a soul, would try to take Lawli away from him before then. Beyond Birthday believed firmly that L could and would be won over with time, patience, and compassion. The raven would see that B cared for him, actually loved him. And yes, B would deny it no longer: He loved this man, and yet still hated some aspects of him. But what love doesn't consist of hate? None, for that matter, for all do. The two feelings are so combined that they cannot be separated; there is no grey line no matter how hard one wishes to see it.

Giving up now would be a sin in itself; it was just impossible, and it would be irrational. L needed healing, needed real companionship…which, when B really thought about it, that was what he needed too: Healing, companionship, love, admittance to feelings. The man knew, though, that he was talking about L Lawliet here, the World's Greatest Detective. Cracking open that shell would be like trying to crack open an Antarctic iceberg with a flimsy stick. But…with adjustments, thinking, and time, it could be done. Perhaps not the "stick and ice" thing, but this, oh this, could definitely be accomplished.

All in a matter of time…

That is all it will take… **Just a matter of time** …

So the duo curled up, their bodies' heat warming each other, breathing softly….

As the night sky let loose rain droplets, which fell into a pitter patter on to the warehouse roof, while the dying chimes of the church sung the last notes of their somber song… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update the next one maybe tuesday, my aunt is going abroad for a while so i'll be with her and the family.
> 
> See you soon guys, please comment your thoughts.


	10. Not a chapter

Okay guys please don't kill me >.<

First of all.... Merry Christmas

Second... i know I said I would finish this before the new year but so many things happened since the last update. A lot of my family left the country including my sister, college drives me nuts, the idiotic "president" is still driving us f.... CRAZY

I'm really sorry and I know many won't believe me BUT this week I will update two or three chapters.... be ready for it 

I hope everyone have a wonderful Happy New Year and see you soon.

**Author's Note:**

> If there are any misspelled words in the notes, please forgive me English is not my first language. Also, if you have any suggestions on the tags or something, please tell me on the comments section. Thank you.


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